MAINTENANCE DEPOT TRANSFORMATION, NOT JUST A FACELIFT

London Underground Limited (LUL) has awarded GEC ALSTHOM (GECA) a serv ice provision contract to provide and maintain 106 new trains under a leasing agreement for the next 20 years. The service will be provided to the Northern Line, with LUL retaining responsibility for operationa l control. Maintenance will be performed in the existing Northern Line facilities and the depots will be leased from LUL to GECA for the con tract period. The maintenance depots require modernization to support the new trains and GECA Railway Maintenance Services Limited (RML) wil l manage and operate the depots. RML is now responsible for delivering the existing trains to the Northern Line and for introducing the new fleet of trains while the maintenance facilities are modernized. This paper addresses the modifications made to the maintenance facilities f or the new fleet of trains. It discusses the philosophy behind the red esign of the depot layout, the steps throughout construction and the m aintenance equipment necessary to provide the service required to meet the needs of the customer.