Network Rail opens rail maintenance depot in Hereford

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Network Rail opens rail maintenance depot in Hereford

Network Rail has officially opened a new maintenance depot in Hereford.

The ^1m complex will serve the network between Cwmbran and Ludlow and much of the railway in Heart of Wales.

Mark Langford, from Network Rail, said: "Hereford, which is at the heart of the Marches railway network, makes the town an ideal location".

The route managing director added that a modern transport infrastructure was vital to an economy and they were "well positioned to meet that need".

[Don]

This is part of Network Rails policy of creating centralised depots for maintenance, the Hereford one is for the north south line, the line from Hereford to Worcester is covered by a similar depot at Gloucester, near the old Eastgate station. 

The Cotswold line is also covered by Gloucester down as far as somewhere south of Ascot-under-Wychwood.  What does this mean? - Well mainly that if something goes wrong at Ledbury or Ascot, it will be a good hour before the boys from Gloucester can drive there and if they have not got the part, they will have to drive back and get it out of the stores at Gloucester.

[John R]

Gloucester to Ledbury is a mere 16 miles, so not sure where you get an hour from - more like 20 minutes.

[Don]

Gloucester to Ledbury is a mere 16 miles, so not sure where you get an hour from - more like 20 minutes.

No sorry, what I mean is that they don't sit in Gloucester waiting and are usually working somewhere so to walk to the van, pack up and then drive 30ish miles to get to the next fault takes an hour.