Hull City Council has shown its support for growing a sector with ‘considerable potential’ for the local economy.
The Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Cheryl Payne, along with officers from the council’s regeneration directorate recently toured Northern’s Botanic Gardens TrainCare Centre in the city.
During the visit, council staff and the Lord Mayor heard from the operator about how around £10million has been invested, or committed to be spent, in the facility over the past three years and how this has benefitted Hull in terms of job creation and skills and had also helped make the rail network in the region more efficient by increasing engineering capabilities at the site from light servicing and fuelling to detailed inspection work to engines and changing wheelsets.
The TrainCare Centre is an excellent example of how brownfield sites across Hull can be regenerated to drive job opportunities and is a further example of how the city is maximising its assets to help businesses and organisations grow out of an existing site.
Northern, as a rail operator, covers the largest geographic area in the country, with its TrainCare Centre in Hull being one of only five – the others are in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.
The investment has seen the number of staff located at the site increase from 12 to 50, with many of these being high-skilled engineering roles.
It is now also the home depot for 22 trains that make up the fleet that operate services from Hull and throughout Yorkshire, including to destinations like Bridlington, Scarborough, Doncaster, York and Sheffield.
“It is fantastic to see Northern’s commitment to Hull and that vehicles serving this area are based in the city and serviced in the city,” said Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transport and infrastructure at Hull City Council.
“As a local authority, we are keen to strengthen our working relationship with Northern and the city’s other operators to grow the rail sector in Hull, which has considerable potential – particularly in relation to employment and skills in engineering.
“We are also keen to explore how we can further leverage Government funding for rail infrastructure and projects.”
As well as servicing its own trains, Northern’s Botanic Gardens TrainCare Centre also supports TransPennine Express and Hull Trains with fuelling, cleaning and light servicing – ensuring Hull has a strategic role in servicing and maintaining trains across the north of England.
Arron Ibbotson, depot delivery manager for Northern, said: “It was fantastic to welcome the Lord Mayor and council team to Hull Botanic Gardens TrainCare Centre (TCC) and give them a real sense of the work our people do every day.
“The investment in this TCC has not only improved the reliability of our trains, but it’s also created opportunities for local people to build rewarding careers in rail engineering.
“Our team here in Hull take real pride in keeping services running for the community, and it was great to be able to share that passion and show how important this site is for the city and the wider region.
“We’re especially proud of the work we’re doing with apprentices and our support for STEM education, helping to inspire the next generation and encourage more young people, including women, to see engineering as a career for them.”
Of her visit, the Lord Mayor was hugely impressed with the depot’s operations as well as Northern’s commitment to education and skills development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – praising the operator’s work with apprentices, its ongoing support for education providers in the city, like Ron Dearing UTC, and its efforts to enhance diversity in its workforce, including attracting more women into engineering roles.
Councillor Payne said: “I really enjoyed visiting Northern’s Botanic Gardens TrainCare Centre and meeting with the talented team of staff who call this city their home and help keep local services on track.
“The centre is an impressive facility and a hugely important one for the city and the wider region, both in terms of supporting local jobs and skills opportunities and with regards to ensuring the rail network in this part of the country runs efficiently and smoothly.”
