£5 million improvement work at Northern's Hull depot goes out to tender

Contracts have gone out to tender for improvement works at Northern Trains’ Botanic Gardens depot near Hull station.

The £5 million work will include detailed design and construction of new sidings, buildings, and a new underframe carriage wash.

The 18-month contract also includes new stabling roads to accommodate a minimum of three- car trains and a new amenity block.

Botanic Gardens depot received a partial upgrade in 2022, when new equipment was installed - including a crane, train roof access, platforms and jacks, as well as an additional fuelling road. A new roof was also put on the train shed.

Four maintenance teams work on Northern’s Class 170s, which are based at the Hull depot. They also undertake overnight servicing, including work for Hull Trains and TransPennine Express.

The latest planned improvements and extra capacity at the Hull depot will provide greater space and resilience during a planned 12-week blockade of Neville Hill depot in Leeds, as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade work.

The original intention was to advertise the tender for the work in May 2024. The tender information was finally published in December 2024, with a closing date of February 12 2025.

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern, said: “Work to enhance Hull Botanic Gardens Traincare Centre is essential to enable the successful delivery of Transpennine Route Upgrade works in the Leeds area and beyond over the coming years.

“Additional stabling, underframe carriage washing and welfare facilities will allow us to stable and service trains when access to Neville Hill is restricted as part of the TRU programme.

“These improvements will ensure that we are able to continue to run reliable services for our customers, as well as providing legacy benefits for colleagues and customers in Hull and across the wider Northern network.”