WORK being carried out on the train maintenance depot at Adelaide has put the South Belfast site firmly on track to become one of Translink’s most important facilities in Northern Ireland.
Transport Minister Danny Kennedy visited the site last week, where £27.8 million has been spent on developing the services.
“I can see that building and fitting out is well under way at the site where the structural framework is now complete,” he said.
“By October this year, all 20 of the new CAF trains will have entered service and this new building will ensure that they will be maintained to the highest standard.”
Mr Kennedy added the continuing growth in passengers travelling by train demonstrates the value of the investment.
“Passenger numbers rose again during the last year with a record 10.7 million passengers travelling by train.”
He said that’s the highest level recorded since 1967 and represents an impressive 71 per cent customer growth since 2002.
Mr Kennedy added: “The new train maintenance facility clearly reflects my Department’s and the Executive’s aim of improving and modernising rail services for passengers in Northern Ireland.”
The new facilities at Adelaide will include an engineering depot, staff accommodation facilities, re-fuelling facility, train wash, train stabling facilities and material storage area.
Chief Executive of Translink, Catherine Mason, said: “Working closely with Graham Construction, we have ensured that community engagement and environmental responsibility remain a constant focus.
“For example, we have used low-carbon concrete and employed a range of waste reduction measures as well as regularly updating local community groups on our progress.”
The new facility is situated beside Translink’s contact centre and its state-of-the-art Rail Operations Training Academy making the site an important hub for train maintenance, employee training and also for customer service delivery.
