Adelaide Depot

Adelaide Depot (Translink)
	NI Railways logo now located on the building
	Adelaide Depot in 2013
Location
Location	Adelaide Depot, Building B,8 Falcon Road, Belfast, BT12 6PU
Coordinates	54°34′33″N 5°57′29″W / 54.57585468106125°N 5.957970035938911°W
Characteristics
Owner	NI Railways
Type	DMU
Rolling stock	Class 3000; Class 4000;
Routes served	Bangor; Derry~Londonderry; Dublin Only Class 3000; Larne; Portadown/Newry
History
Opened	2012
	NI Railways; Translink; NI railway stations;

Adelaide Depot is a significant railway maintenance facility operated by Northern Ireland Railways (NIR). It is situated adjacent to Adelaide railway station along the Belfast–Dublin railway line in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The depot primarily serves as a maintenance, refuelling, washing, and stabling location for NIR's diesel multiple unit (DMU) fleet.

History

Constructed between April 2011 and September 2012, the Adelaide Depot occupies the site of a former freight terminal.^[1]^{[failed verification]} The £15.6 million project, executed by GRAHAM Construction, was completed on time and within budget over 18 months.^{[citation needed]} The depot received a Gold Award from the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and a commendation from RICS for Design and Innovation.^[2]^{[failed verification]}

This state-of-the-art facility was developed to relieve pressure on Translink’s existing train maintenance operations and to support its growing fleet of Class 3000 and Class 4000 trains. Translink’s Fleet Engineer, Richard Noble, highlighted the importance of the facility as a modern and well-designed space that accommodates staff needs and efficient component movement.^[3]^[4]

Facilities

Spanning 20,000 m², Adelaide Depot comprises a 5,100 m² maintenance building and 1,600 meters of railway track. It includes a two-road running shed, five stabling sidings, a fuelling apron, train washing systems, and sidings allocated for Permanent Way equipment.^[5]

The depot is engineered to support train lengths up to 138 meters and features six operational roads with a cumulative track length of around 2,000 meters. Six pit roads are available for regular and emergency maintenance. Other facilities include:

Three fuelling tanks with a combined capacity of 105,000 litres using Banlaw safety fittings
A 9,000-litre AdBlue tank with ZVA forecourt nozzle
Sanding silos with 4-inch quick-release fittings
A train wash capable of handling 20-tonne axle loads

The depot incorporates sustainable technologies such as energy-efficient lighting, solar panels, grey water harvesting systems, and durable alternative concrete troughs for cable management, praised for both aesthetics and resilience.^[5]^{[failed verification]}