DB Cargo UK has started a comprehensive mobilisation programme at its Toton Traction Maintenance Depot as it readies the site for the arrival of the first Class 66 locomotives due to receive the European Train Control System (ETCS) this July. The initiative forms part of the East Coast Digital Programme and will see nine locomotives equipped with Siemens Mobility’s Trainguard 200 onboard technology by March 2026.
Four dedicated fit-out lanes are being created inside Toton’s main engineering shed. To provide the necessary headroom for new overhead cranes, the existing roof-mounted heating system is being removed. Outside, the north-end yard is gaining additional trackwork and foundations for a second load bank, allowing simultaneous engine testing alongside routine maintenance.
A fully automated wash plant is under construction in the same yard, replacing the manual cleaning operation currently housed within the shed. This change is expected to cut cycle times and free indoor space for other projects.
Vegetation clearance, scheduled outside the bird nesting season, has begun near the oil-storage area to make way for modular office units and an ERTMS Mobile Training Facility. The new accommodation will host Siemens Mobility staff working shoulder-to-shoulder with DB Cargo UK teams throughout the retrofit campaign.
Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Manager James Bodill is overseeing the works. He emphasised the need to balance the tight programme with ongoing maintenance obligations:
“We’re working to a challenging timetable while ensuring that the mobilisation work does not impact on the other important engineering and maintenance activities that take place on the site.”
To support the contract, the depot will recruit 24 additional engineers and maintainers, broadening the skill base required for ETCS integration and future digital railway projects.
Siemens Mobility, the East Coast Digital Programme’s designated freight partner, is responsible for the design, integration and installation of Trainguard 200 across the selected Class 66 fleet. The work at Toton underlines the depot’s strategic role in advancing the UK’s transition to the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
Reflecting on the broader significance of the upgrade, James Bodill noted:
“This year the UK is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway. Here at Toton we’re proud of the role we’re delivering in the rollout of ERTMS, which will inspire the next generation of pioneering young rail talent.”
The mobilisation now under way positions Toton TMD as a central hub for digital freight traction, reinforcing DB Cargo UK’s commitment to modern, interoperable operations across the national network.
