A ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction on a new £1.5 million locomotive maintenance facility at rail vehicle engineering and maintenance provider, UK Rail Leasing Ltd’s (UKRL), depot in Leicester.
This new facility has been designed to maintain new classes of locomotives and provide UKRL significant extra capacity in Leicester to expand its maintenance business. It is also expected the expansion, once operational in early 2024, will create 15 new, highly skilled jobs.
Gathering to celebrate the new facility will be Mark Winter, managing director at UKRL, with the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby and John Smith, CEO at GB Railfreight (GBRf).
Construction of the new shed, which will be completed in 2023, is being supported by a development loan from HSBC UK.
Mark Winter, managing director at UKRL said: “This expansion in Leicester means we will be playing our part in developing a more efficient rail network by providing maintenance services for clients where they are needed. The new shed also increases our capacity for all our customers who know our expertise in maintenance and servicing rail vehicles ensures reliability.”
Leicester’s City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “UKRL’s expansion with this new locomotive shed is good news for the city. Since founding in Leicester almost ten years ago, this important and innovative engineering company has gone from strength to strength, making major local investment, creating new skilled jobs and helping to put our city on the map as a fantastic place to do business.”
John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said: “For the rail freight sector to grow, we need investments like the one that UKRL are making in Leicester. This state-of-the-art depot will provide a new facility for locomotive maintenance that will improve sustainability and efficiency for freight operators, in addition to driving jobs and growth in the East Midlands region.”
Photo credit: UKRL
