Britain’s first ‘workshop on wheels’
The first of a new fleet of engineering trains which will revolutionise the way Network Rail’s ‘orange army’ carries out railway maintenance and repair work has entered service.
The state-of-the-art mobile maintenance trains (MMTs) will make working on the railway quicker, safer and more efficient as well as less disruptive for passengers and freight. Based at locations around the country, the eight MMTs will provide a ‘workshop on wheels’ for engineers and track workers as they carry out repairs, renewals and upgrades to Britain’s 20,000-mile rail network.
Each train will have a workshop, two built-in 2t cranes to move heavy equipment, multiple power points (400V, 110V, hydraulic and pneumatic) and will be able carry all the tools and supplies the engineers could need, alongside a welfare area with kitchen and toilet. But the MMT’s key feature is the large, extendable work area that allows access to the track below, provides cover, floodlighting and – crucially – protection from passing trains.
As a result, the MMTs will reduce the amount of disruption engineering work usually causes as they may be able to work on a section of track without having to close the railway next to it. This will limit disruption during the day when engineers carry out repairs, while allowing better use of the railway at night for freight trains carrying everything from high street goods and mail, to cars for export and coal for power stations.
