Rail infrastructure specialist Spencer Group has completed the latest project in a long-standing partnership with East Midlands Railway (EMR).
After constructing EMR’s original Under Frame Cleaning (UFC) centre at Etches Park Depot in Derby almost 10 years ago, Spencer Group recently returned to the site to extend the facility, increasing its capacity from two cars to five.
The extended facility will help the train operator improve the presentation of its carriages and maintain a much higher external cleanliness standard.
As part of the £5m project, Spencer Group’s specialist rail engineering team also constructed a new two storey, 30 sq m (322 sq ft) staff welfare facility housing a canteen, locker rooms, changing rooms, meeting rooms and office space.
The team carried out all aspects of the project including the design, ground excavation, building the 75 sq m (807 sq ft) extension, including steelwork, and the construction of the new welfare building.
Tony Cairnes, Spencer Group Site Agent said: “Working on a live depot is always challenging and access is very restricted, so collaboration between all parties is essential for a project like this.
“Having more than two decades of experience in the rail engineering sector, Spencer Group is highly experienced in working in tightly-restricted environments such as this and we are trusted by clients to work efficiently with other teams, suppliers and contractors to deliver projects to the highest quality, on time, and with as little disruption as possible to the wider site operations.
“Throughout the project we’ve worked closely with the client to adapt to their needs and we’ve been on a design journey with them to implement changes to ensure the facility meets the needs of the team members who will be working there.”
