Stabling and maintaining the new, state-of-the-art Class 700 fleet

A new purpose built train-care facility in north London

The purpose-built new Siemens train-care facility in Hornsey, north London, was completed in summer 2016, just a year after its sister depot in Three Bridges, West Sussex. The new depot stables and maintains the state-of-the-art Class 700 fleet as well as six other class of trains for use on Great Northern and Thameslink routes.

Hornsey key facts

• There are three roads in the new main facility building including one heavy maintenance road
• There are two carriage washing machines, one near the new depot, and one adjacent to the existing site, which can operate in all weather conditions
• The stores area has two x 12 tonne cranes for heavy equipment handling
• The under-frame cleaning facility can accommodate 12 car trains
• There are two bogie drops with a bogie transfer facility
• There are 15 stabling sidings in total at Hornsey with eight equipped to empty train toilets
• The depot is fully signalled to improve depot capacity
• An automatic inspection facility has been installed to assist with predictive maintenance
• Building the new facility required two bridges to be widened (New River and Turnpike Lane).

Environmental considerations

The new facility at Hornsey features many environmental benefits. There is a biomass boiler, rainwater harvesting and water recycling. The site has been fully landscaped with attention to vegetation and planting. The site has introduced bat boxes, nesting areas for birds, amphibian habitats and a hibernacula. Minimising light pollution for residents has also been a key consideration so the site features sky lights to make the most of natural light and avoid bright windows.