Rail Operations explores maintenance depot options
RAIL Operations (UK) Limited is looking into the possibility of building a brand new maintenance depot, as it seeks ways to continue to grow its business.
Chief Executive Karl Watts confirmed the plans in an exclusive interview with RAIL. With the company planning maintenance for ten Class 93 hybrid locomotives ordered from Stadler ( RAIL 868), Watts said a new depot is needed.
“One of the longer-term plans is to have our own maintenance depot,” he told RAIL, adding that depots were a cost centre and thus the facility had to ‘work for the business’ as well as being used to maintain its fleet.
To that end, he said the company would look into undertaking work such as overhauls, repainting, reliveries and refurbishments.
“By doing that the depot becomes a profit centre. We will do other work. And that is where the ‘93s’ will be based eventually,” he said.
Watts gave no indication as to where such a site could be, or whether it would be built on an existing site.
However, he has said that as part of the company’s plans to store off-lease rolling stock, it is talking to Network Rail and the Ministry of Defence about the possibility of leasing sites ( RAIL 869). Initial plans are for the Class 93s to be maintained at Arlington Fleet Services’ Eastleigh Works, although those plans could change.
This site will not be used to store off-lease trains via ROL’s sister company Traxion. The latter leases sites from Network Rail, and is looking at MoD locations to store new-build trains as well as fleets such as Eversholt Rail’s Class 91/ Mk 4 sets as they are returned by London North Eastern Railway.
Currently, the company’s locomotives are maintained at UK Rail Leasing’s Leicester facility. It leases five Class 37s from Europhoenix (37601/608/611, 37800/884), with a sixth (37510) to join the fleet shortly, while also operating two Class 57/3s on a long-term lease from Direct Rail Services (57305/312).
Six Class 47s are also leased by Rail Operations Group from ROL (47812/813/825/843/847/848), although two are used for component recovery and are unlikely to return to service (47843/847). @Clinnick1 ■ See RAIL 871 for an in-depth interview with Karl Watts.