For the last few weeks there's been quite a lot of activity at Cambridge station with an old siding being lifted and relaid. The only reference I can find to it is on the Thameslink Programme website, which is vague and out of date - http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/improvements/cambridge-sidings
Does that mean they're building a whole new train wash? There's an existing one on a line just parallel to it, though it's in a dead-end siding and you might not get a 12-car 700 through it without running out of track!
Does anyone have any more details of what's planned for this site? The construction work at the moment suggests just a single additional electrified stabling loop, parallel to the existing two.
.Govia Thameslink Railway are planning to build new stabling facilities in Cambridge where the new Thameslink trains will be kept, cleaned and prepared for service. From early 2016, there will be new 12-carriage trains which, by May 2018, will add 1,000 extra standard-class seats to busy services in the morning peak. Without the sidings this much-needed additional capacity cannot be delivered.
At this facility, staff will:
clean inside and outside the trains
empty the toilets and refresh the water tanks
prepare the trains for service
undertake minor repairs that might otherwise keep a train out of service
There will also be a train wash and mess facilities for the drivers and cleaners. Govia Thameslink Railway will design and construct the facility and Thameslink will manage its operation.
Does that mean they're building a whole new train wash? There's an existing one on a line just parallel to it, though it's in a dead-end siding and you might not get a 12-car 700 through it without running out of track!
Does anyone have any more details of what's planned for this site? The construction work at the moment suggests just a single additional electrified stabling loop, parallel to the existing two.