Eco-friendly rail maintenance building opens

Network Rail The building resembles two large black sheds, one much bigger than the other one.  On the left of the photograph, which is taken from the air, a new carpark has been marked out.  The building is surrounded by trees and the village can be seen on in the distance.Network Rail
Over 100 staff members are based at the 96, 875 sq ft (9,000 sq m) site at Barnetby

An eco-friendly rail maintenance building has officially opened in North Lincolnshire.

Network Rail said their maintenance delivery unit (MDU) at Barnetby marked an £8.8m investment in the rail network in the county.

The organisation said the two-storey, timber-frame building replaced dated infrastructure and brought together teams from Grimsby, Barnetby and Scunthorpe under one roof.

Network Rail said the MDU at Barnetby was a blueprint for future maintenance facilities to support the company's ambition to reach net zero by 2050.

Over 100 maintenance staff are based at the site and the company said air-source heat pumps, tripled-glazed windows and rooftop solar panels reduced the building's carbon emissions.

The company said acoustic fencing had been installed to minimise noise for neighbours and 11 trees, more than 400 plants and bat boxes had been put in.

George Drum, Network Rail infrastructure director, said the facility set the standard for how they would design maintenance hubs from now on.

"[The building] provides our teams with modern, sustainable facilities while supporting a key route that underpins both freight and passenger services across the region", he said.

The site became operational on 1 June and was officially opened on Wednesday.

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