The Ashford site is where maintenance of the fleet of 29 Class 395 ‘Javelin’ Hitachi trains is carried out. These trains are the fastest in the UK, capable of completing the journey between Ashford and London St Pancras in just 37 minutes. The team of 70 engineers at the site are responsible for both unplanned maintenance and routine servicing of the trains. The teams are a mixture of mechanical and electrical engineers from a variety of backgrounds, including the rail and automotive industries, as well as the Armed Forces.
TTS visited the site and discussed the company’s maintenance needs. They then drew up a five-day, on-site electrical maintenance course designed to replicate the daily work of the maintenance engineers. The course included modules on topics including application of electrical safety legislation, wiring of electrical components and testing for dead circuits. Many of the modules involved hands-on exercises.
“The course was designed specifically for us, with is really important because it means our engineers could relate all of the course content to their day jobs,” said Alex McFarlin, training manager, Class 395 at the Ashford plant. “The engineers now have a much better understanding of why they are carrying out each maintenance task.”
