Welsh Transport Minister celebrates 50 years of Landore Engineering Depot

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the First Great Western press release:

Transport Minister celebrates 50 years of Landore Engineering Depot

Welsh Government Transport Minister Edwina Hart has visited First Great Western^s (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) Landore Engineering Depot today [18 November], to name a train in recognition of 50 years of the site.

Landore Depot provides a work programme that has serviced, fuelled and repaired over 3600 High Speed Train (HST^▸ (High Speed Train)) sets over the last 12 months alone, in an overnight downtime often no more than three or four hours.

Minister for Economy, Science, and Transport Edwina Hart, said: ^Landore plays an important role in keeping the First Great Western fleet running. I am pleased to be officially naming this train today to recognise this significant landmark. This depot has played an important role in the community over the years and I would also like to congratulate all the staff at the site for helping to reach this landmark.^

Landore is one of four FGW depots maintaining their High Speed Train (HST) fleet, specialising in power car maintenance. The depot team^s dedication has meant that only one HST serviced at that depot was cancelled due to a train fault in the last year and saw them shortlisted in the European Rail Congress Awards 2013.

Welcoming the Minister, the Lord Mayor and other guests, First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood is said: ^Landore has a proud history and I, on behalf of First Great Western, am very proud of the role the depot and its staff play in the local community. In recent years we have made significant investment in the depot infrastructure which has paid dividends for our customers, improving train reliability and has kept people moving in these increasingly congested times.^

Landore Depot is two miles East of Swansea High Street Station, built on the site of a steam locomotive shed it opened as a diesel depot in 1963.

The facility also records among the lowest accident rate across any FGW depot, having reduced by two-thirds over the last four years.

[John R]

Hmmm. No mention of what will happen to Landore once the new IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) depot opens and the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s leave. I'm not sure, does anyone know?

[Rhydgaled]

Hmmm. No mention of what will happen to Landore once the new IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) depot opens and the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s leave. I'm not sure, does anyone know?

I've not seen any plans, but personally I hope a decent sized fleet of refurbished class 155s (153s reformed as 2-car sets) or class 156s will be based there for services from Swansea to Carmarthen/Fishguard/Milford Haven/Pembroke Dock and HOWL (Heart Of Wales Line).

Unconfirmed reports (but from a normally accurate poster) on RailUK fourms suggest that using Landore for S.W.Wales and HOWL DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) is in fact planned, but that the stock is currently planned to be a small fleet of 158s from FirstGW.

[anthony215]

Generaly opinion is that  the depot at Llandore will be transfered to the Wales & Borders franchise to allow the West Wales & Heart of wales DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) fleet to be stabled and refuled there. Some units will however still stable overnight at Carmarthen.

I wont be too surprised if some emu's are stabled at Llandore as well. Seems part of the plan coming from a poster on RailUK forums is that  the  Wales and Borders franchise is to receive  a lot of the class 158's currently with FGW^▸ (First Great Western)  after they are replaced by the class 165/166 turbos.

I havent been able to confirm this fully myself  but the poster who made  it has been spot on so far over the last couple of years and is someone in the know

[Chris from Nailsea]

From a First Great Western press release:

Shock therapy helps train engineers raise over ^1,500

Over ^1,500 has been raised by First Great Western^s Landore engineering team for the charity Help for Heroes.

Staff from Landore depot undertook a number of challenges to raise funds including the renowned Tough Mudder event, a 12 mile-long obstacle course including hanging electrical objects; as well as selling anniversary depot badges.

Seven members of the team took part in the Tough Mudder challenge, something they described as ^the hardest thing they^ve ever done^. Although it^s widely known that Tough Mudder isn^t for the faint hearted some of the obstacles even had this team quaking in their steel toe capped boots.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Multi-Skilled Technician, Steve Lewis recalls: ^It was really tough. Despite all our training we struggled to stay together, but thankfully we all finished even with one of the team falling to the ground after he received an electric shock.^

In contrast Depot Manager Mike Hayes decided to raise money for the charity in a much more relaxed way. He had a pin badge designed to celebrate last November^s 50th anniversary of the depot.

Mike said: ^As the depot approached this landmark I wanted to do something to raise its profile, so we created a badge which went down really well. In fact we completely sold out.^

CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes, Bryn Parry OBE, said: ^Help for Heroes is all about ^doing your bit^ and First Great Western^s support and fundraising efforts, through all these events, is deeply appreciated. In particular, we know completing a Tough Mudder is no mean feat!

^The money you have raised is greatly needed; soldiers, sailors and airmen who are injured today will still need our support in the future. They are still battling and we won't let them battle alone. On behalf of everyone at Help for Heroes and all those who the money will benefit, I would like to say thank you!^

Following the cheque presentation Mike Hayes commented: ^This has very much been a team effort and it^s absolutely brilliant to see how involved the entire depot has been^.

[grahame]

Message I missed on the test chat system last night ... bit confusing ... EITHER I had a message from the Landore Depot Manager,  or someone's looking to contact the depot manager and is trying to find out how to of so.  On the chat system I can see which page someone was on when they got in touch, and it was from this thread hence the posting here.