The first milestone in the Shield’s depot £24m construction project has been reached, with Siemens handing over the new wheel lathe building to ScotRail.

The new wheel lathe building, which has been completed on schedule in six months, contains the latest technical equipment to keep train wheels in top condition and reduce wear and tear on the rails. It has been designed to carry out the work whilst the wheels are still on the train using an underfloor wheel lathe. This reduces the need to lift the train and remove the wheels. It also offers the ability to profile double the number of wheels at one time.

When complete, Shields depot will house and maintain the new fleet of 38 Siemens Desiro Class 380 electric trains as well as some of the existing ScotRail fleet. It will also undertake interior cleaning, emptying of toilets and fueling.