Chart Leacon

[FlippyFF]

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/50-new-jobs-as-former-train-depot-reopens-196331/

Fifty new jobs will be created when a disused train depot reopens as part of extensive railway upgrades across the county.

Chart Leacon in Beaver Lane, which was once a thriving and busy railway maintenance site, has sat mothballed for almost five years.

But part of the depot is now set to house Southeastern trains when the operator is ousted from the Hitachi depot in Station Road to make way for new Thameslink trains.

Earlier this month, Network Rail submitted a planning application with Ashford Borough Council (ABC) to reinstate derelict railway sidings at Chart Leacon to house the Southeastern trains.

Chiefs say the work will provide “significant investment and new job opportunities for Ashford”, with up to 50 new full-time staff needed.

It is not yet known exactly what roles will be created, but it is likely to include a mix of depot staff, support staff and train drivers.

In a statement on the Thameslink website, it says: “To support Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR) in providing the Thameslink service, a decision was taken by the Department for Transport to make the existing Hitachi depot at Ashford available to GTR...

Wouldn't it be easier to put Thameslink into Chart Leacon?

 

[brad465]

I hope Southeastern are not completely going to vacate Hitachi's depot in this proposal (which the word "ousted" might suggest if the reopening happens), given it's a large depot that can hold several more rolling stock units than six 700s.

The Depot does I feel need to reopen though for the sake of a lack of storage space for rolling stock - if the future franchise can increase the number of carriages to badly needed levels, they need all the space they can get, with Chart Leacon being fairly large (more than just a few sidings)

The trouble with getting the new Thameslink trains into that site is they'd have to reverse in Ashford Int station and block up track space in doing so, given the old site is beyond the Maidstone East line junction London-bound. However it's a pity they don't have anywhere to store them that's closer to Maidstone, sending rolling stock empty to Ashford must waste energy consumption and possibly track space (unlike Rainham or Orpington), especially given the services won't run onto Ashford under current plans (as far as I know). But sending them back towards London would be more wasteful in regards to what is available.

 

[bionic]

Slowly but surely over the years Thameslink have ousted SE units from a number of locations. They currently have at least four at Orpington overnight, two in Bellingham, two in Sevenoaks, a few in Gillingham yard and Rochester old loops, one in Rainham bay and one that has to sit at Victoria overnight because there's no room for it anywhere else.

It's slowly crept in, but presumably other accommodation has had to be found for the SE units that formerly stabled in these locations (barring Rochester loops and Rainham which are new). Once (if) the Maidstone / Ashford service starts capacity is going to be at critical. There's no way it can start until the chart leacon situation is sorted out because there is literally nowhere else to keep the trains! It makes sense to move SE over there because for Thameslink to get into Chart Leacon it would involve shunting right across the entire station where's they can get into the Hitachi yard off the Maidstone line with far less conflict.

 

[swt_passenger]

...sending rolling stock empty to Ashford must waste energy consumption and possibly track space (unlike Rainham or Orpington), especially given the services won't run onto Ashford under current plans (as far as I know). But sending them back towards London would be more wasteful in regards to what is available.

Thameslink’s eventual Cambridge to Maidstone East trains are supposed to be extended in passenger service from/to Ashford at start and end of service. This has been in the published service patterns for a while now.

 

[brad465]

Slowly but surely over the years Thameslink have ousted SE units from a number of locations. They currently have at least four at Orpington overnight, two in Bellingham, two in Sevenoaks, a few in Gillingham yard and Rochester old loops, one in Rainham bay and one that has to sit at Victoria overnight because there's no room for it anywhere else.

It's slowly crept in, but presumably other accommodation has had to be found for the SE units that formerly stabled in these locations (barring Rochester loops and Rainham which are new). Once (if) the Maidstone / Ashford service starts capacity is going to be at critical. There's no way it can start until the chart leacon situation is sorted out because there is literally nowhere else to keep the trains! It makes sense to move SE over there because for Thameslink to get into Chart Leacon it would involve shunting right across the entire station where's they can get into the Hitachi yard off the Maidstone line with far less conflict.

Okay I didn't realise it was quite that overkill, even though I've seen all of the above hold 700s, but presumably there wasn't space and/or thought of doing a 3rd site of depot building/expansion with the new stock, after Three Bridges and Horsney, to alleviate the issue. Does this become a problem if Network Rail want to do engineering works on the Rochester loops, and/or in the Victoria/Rainham bay(s)?

Thameslink’s eventual Cambridge to Maidstone East trains are supposed to be extended in passenger service from/to Ashford at start and end of service. This has been in the published service patterns for a while now.

I had from memory seen a small feature of the 700s interior route network maps, show a limited service extension or something from Maidstone East to Ashford. However I didn't take it seriously before because the whole timetable trouble has seen just getting to Maidstone become a challenge.

Also does anyone know if I was right in recalling seeing old slam door stock stored at Chart Leacon in the late 00s, out of interest from passing by along the Mainline back then? I certainly don't remember the site holding anything though for years since.