DB Cargo is making major changes at its Toton Traction Maintenance Depot in Derbyshire to make it ready to install the new European Train Control System (ETCS) to its Class 66 freight locomotives.

Construction is taking place at several locations across the site to prepare it for retrofitting ETCS to nine of DB’s Class 66 locomotives.

The retrofitting work is planned to start in July and be completed by March 2026, and will eventually require an additional 24 new engineers and maintainers.

To accommodate the work, the inside of the main engineering shed at Toton is being modified, including:

• Dedicating four lanes where the work will be carried out.
• Removing the heating system from the roof to accommodate new cranes.
• Installing new track infrastructure in the north end yard for a second, additional load bank, for testing locomotive engines.
• Constructing a new, fully automated wash plant in the north end yard to replace the manual washing that currently takes place in the main engineering shed.
• Clearing vegetation next to the oil tanks adjacent to the main crossing in preparation for a new Mobile Training Facility for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Working alongside DB on fitting ETCS will be Siemens Mobility, which is also the chosen partner for the East Coast Main Line’s Digital Programme, and is responsible for designing, integrating and installing its Trainguard 200 Onboard unit onto freight locomotives. To minimise the impact on the site’s abundant bird life, the work is planned for completion outside the bird nesting season.

“We’re working to a challenging timetable while ensuring that the mobilisation work does not impact on the other important engineering and maintenance activities that take place on the site. Running alongside the infrastructure improvements is a recruitment drive to ensure we have the necessary resources and skills to fulfil our growing portfolio of work. This year, the UK is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway. Well, here at Toton, we’re proud of the role we’re delivering in the rollout of ERTMS here in the UK, which will inspire the next generation of pioneering young rail talent.”

Third Party Manager James Bodill, who is coordinating the onsite preparatory work