Greater Anglia has made improvements to one of its depots to support the new generation of Greater Anglia trains.
Orient Way depot is located near Stratford and plays a vital role in servicing Greater Anglia’s fleet, with its twelve sidings allowing for the parking and cleaning of trains around the clock.
Works included the installation of 70 new Controlled Emission Toilet (CET) emptying units, provision of over three linear kilometres of new raised walkways and access routes, upgrades to the depot’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure, and the installation of a new 16-tonne silo to store the sand used to help trains grip the tracks.
CET systems are essential for modern train maintenance, where vacuum-powered hoses are used to safely remove waste from toilet tanks before flushing them through with water.
Waste is transferred directly into the depot’s water treatment system and disposed of, with separate hoses used to refill the trains’ clean water tanks for toilet cisterns and wash basin taps.
The improvements are part of the train operator’s wider £1.4 billion investment programme to modernise its rail services to support Class 720 and Class 745s trains.
Andrew Goodrum, infrastructure & major projects director at Greater Anglia, said:
“This major investment will help ensure Orient Way can support our fleet for many years to come and help us deliver a consistently high standard of service for our customers.
“Completing this extensive upgrade while keeping the depot fully operational was a significant achievement, and a testament to how our teams can deliver infrastructure improvements without impacting passenger experience.”
Image credit: Network Rail
