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North Pole International Depot - The heart of Eurostar train maintenance

Located in west London, North Pole International Depot is the UK facility where all Eurostar trains are maintained and overhauled. There are two sister depots, one in France, Le Landy depot, and the other in Belgium, Forest Depot, with whom we work closely to ensure that collectively we deliver the best possible service to the company.

The work at NPI covers the whole spectrum of train maintenance from daily exams to major overhauls and modifications. Eurostar trains are widely regarded as the most complicated trains in Europe, having four different on board signalling systems, five different traction voltage systems, computerised on-board maintenance guides in three different languages and an on-board computerised data logging system to name only a few of the areas that make Eurostar "different". Maintaining these trains is a challenge not to be underestimated.

In late 2007 we will be moving our entire train maintenance organisation to Temple Mills International depot, a brand new, state of the art depot just outside of Stratford in the East of London. This will allow us to better provide trains to St Pancras station, where the Eurostar services will be starting their journeys on the newly constructed high speed line.

As well as being responsible for all of the train maintenance in the UK, staff at Temple Mills International are responsible for all related Procurement, Materials Management, Quality and Safety, Infrastructure Maintenance, Production Planning and Project Management.