According to Furrer+Frey, the electrification equipment can be moved out of the way at the touch of a button, allowing teams to safely service and maintain trains.
The last stretch of the new, moveable electrification equipment was commissioned by Furrer+Frey in October 2023.
Simon Tyler, head of UK Depot for Eurostar said, “Safety, reliability, and resilience are at the heart of what we do. The completion of works shows our commitment to providing a more sustainable rail network that delivers the very best for our teams at Temple Mills Depot and for our customers.”
Noel Dolphin, head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey, added, “We’ve been thrilled to work with Eurostar over the past 15 years to fully fit the depot and boost the reliability of their trains. A depot needs to function like an F1 pitstop, getting trains in, serviced, and out again quickly and safely. Gone are the days of a dark diesel depot. Modern depots are clean and efficient and this equipment powers that change.”
Eurostar’s long-term partnership with Furrer+Frey has played a key part in the depot’s gradual upgrade since 2007, one road at a time.
The moveable equipment is now fitted to all eight roads in the depot, totaling over 1.5km.
The moveable overhead conductor retracts to allow maintenance crews to safely access the roof of a train and to load and unload hoteling equipment. The bar is then returned so that the trains can move off under electric traction.
The latest installation is part of a project to allow trains to be raised three meters high to access bogies underneath.