Andrew Hursey

Said the following about Ilford Depot:

“Ilford Depot is a Complex Engineering Depot to start with, it is not solely a Greater Anglia Maintenance Depot, within the 16 Road Facility we work alongside Bombardier and Siemens who are the OEM and Maintainer of their Fleets which we operate, but we are the Site Duty Holder for their Operation.

We also provide Commercial Support to the MTR Cross Rail 315 Fleets and the ARL 315 and 317 Fleets.

The past 12 Months, we have been through a large amount of change and had many external Business Impacts "Possessions and Isolations" with the Cross Rail Project which impacted on our Yard most weekends, which then impacted on our Capacity and Capability within our Maintenance Shed.

Our New Yard has doubled in Capacity; Capability and Resource to support the transition to the new MTR 345 Queen Elizabeth Fleets, which are being cascaded out currently.

Our Ilford Depot Engineering Maintenance Team, made up of Managers and Team Leaders within roles such as Service Delivery Managers; Production and Fleet Technical Engineers; Materials & Warehouse; Facilities and Infrastructure; Operational Driving and Yard Control are a large pro-active and cohesive team and it would be good to get this recognised outside of GA within the wider Rail Industry.

Over the next 18 months, we will be on another Transformation and Change Journey, where many of the staff will TUPE over to Bombardier and Ilford Depot will lose its identity as we know it today and how it has been the past 40 years, so it would be good to get "Team Ilford Maintenance Depot" on the Rail Industry Map, whilst it is still within the Greater Anglia TOC, to recognise not only what it has achieved the past 12 Months but also the History and Heritage it has enjoyed.

Yes it will be the end of an era for many, but for others it will be a start of new opportunities and learning.“