Work is now underway on a new TrainCare Centre in Shipley as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

The depot will maintain Northern’s electric trains that are used on the Airedale and Wharfdale Lines, whilst Neville Depot in Leeds has restricted access in 2028.

Northern says it will keep the depot open after the work, though, securing up to 100 permanent employees.

Leader of Bradford Council, Susan Hinchcliffe, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw and Councillor Liz Rowe were welcomed to the site to see the progress being made this week.

The site has now been flattened and contaminated soil removed (the site was previously a scrapyard).

A retaining wall has now been installed to allow for a safe construction of the main facility.

 “It is fantastic to see the initial work that has been done at Shipley to prepare for the delivery of the brand new TrainCare Centre which will be the future home for most of our electric train fleets in West Yorkshire.

“Not only is the delivery of this new site vital for delivering future work taking place as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, it will also bring highly skilled jobs into the local area and provide key resilience for our network in this part of the world.”

Rob Warnes, Strategic Development Director for Northern

“It’s great to see this major investment in Shipley begin to take shape, which is another vote of confidence in the district from the industry and further positions Bradford as a great place to do business.

“Today I saw firsthand how the new depot will be an important part of operating rail in the north of England, increasing service reliability for rail users, as well as its role in increasing employment opportunities for local people and developing skills through regeneration.

“I’d like to thank TRU and Northern for bringing us up to speed with the project, it’s great to see such progress being made.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council