Transport Minister officially opens new Cadder Depot

Located between Bishopbriggs and Lenzie on the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line, the depot came into use in December 2021, creating 25 new jobs and supporting 200 existing roles.

The development was managed by Network Rail, funded by the Scottish Government and is now operated by ScotRail on behalf of the rail network.

During her visit, Ms Gilruth unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the official opening of the depot and guests had the opportunity to see some of the operations of the yard.

These include: three new service platforms; train cleaning facilities; refuelling unit; night-time accommodation for up to six High-Speed Trains (HSTs); and a new modular building with capacity to accommodate up to 250 support staff.

The new facility will support nighttime cleaning, servicing and maintenance of the HST fleet that operates from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness.

Cadder was identified as the ideal location to accommodate HSTs due to its accessibility to Queen Street and Waverley stations.

A new office facility inside the yard will accommodate staff from Rail Systems Alliance Scotland - a partnership between Network Rail, Babcock and Arcadis.

The two-story building will operate day and night and it will also provide accommodation for ScotRail HST Depot staff.

Ms Gilruth said: “I was delighted to see first-hand ScotRail’s new engineering depot at Cadder and to hear about the benefits it will create for Scotland’s Railway going forward.

“This facility will help support some of the existing fleet and also the introduction of new rolling stock, as part of our Decarbonisation Action Plan.”

Kris Kinnear, capital delivery director for Scotland’s Railway, added: “The £33mn investment into Cadder Depot will bring many strategic benefits for Scotland’s Railway including providing greater flexibility for freight and passenger services, and ultimately improving performance on key intercity routes.”