How a day return to Greenford keeps tube trains on track

ERIKS Engineering Services workshop at Greenford is as important to TfL as any station on the Underground – because it’s a workshop dedicated solely to them. Built in line with ERIKS aspirations and the needs of TfL, it’s not only helping to keep the trains running. It’s also helping TfL to achieve its CSR targets and realise the social values the Government sets for its Local Government bodies.

Changing trains

ERIKS Engineering Services have operated a workshop in Greenford for many years. But in 2022, the decision was taken to change the workshop to serving TfL alone. This provided the opportunity to increase the throughput of motor stators for rewinding – and to move to a new building which could be kitted-out for more efficient customer service and more sustainable operations.

But it wasn’t simply a case of finding any suitable building almost anywhere. TfL had very specific requirements for ERIKS to meet.

These made finding a building much harder or much easier, depending on your point of view.

Harder, because ERIKS wanted the new workshop to be in the same area, to help cut down on transportation cost and provide a greener service, which limited availability. Easier, because this narrowed the search.

The 50 metre Tube journey

The right building for ERIKS and TfL turned out to be right under their noses – around 50 metres from the existing workshop. Even so, it took until October 2023 to find it. And it wasn’t until six months later that access was granted so work on the interior could begin.

However, around five months after that, the new building was ready to move into – and the move was made with no disruption to service delivery for the customer.

Now the workshop has doubled the units that the old one had for the rewinding process, plus a new Vacuum Pressurised Impregnation tank which increased our batch capacity and reduced our gas usage by 50%.

This was important to both TfL and ERIKS, as making the new building greener than the old was a key part of the relocation brief. As well as utilising solar power for heating and lighting, the building incorporates an improved production process which eliminates wastewater discharge to sewerage.

Instead, a closed system cleans the stators and the dirty water is replaced every two weeks and treated to enable reuse. In another step towards a circular economy, all scrap copper resulting from the rewinds is recycled.

In addition, simply by locating the workshop in Greenford, carbon emissions are substantially reduced. Rather than being transported hundreds of miles to competitors’ sites, the motors are maintained locally with minimum transportation required.

Transport for London, for Londoners

TfL’s commitment to serving London and Londoners doesn’t end with providing the Tubes and buses.

They want to offer social value. They want to offer skilled jobs for local people and wages that are at least equal to the London minimum wage. And they want to help local young people to learn and train, so that their workforce remains rooted in the community long into the future.

So they didn’t just have demands about the building. They also knew exactly what they wanted ERIKS to provide for the people who work in it. And ERIKS with its strong focus on ESG and delivering measurable social impact, was proud to meet TfL’s clear expectations and align with their values.

The Greenford location draws from a pool of local London employees, offering pay well above the London minimum wage. And through engagement with the South Thames Colleges Group, Rosedale College and UTC Heathrow, we provide students of Engineering and other relevant subjects opportunities for T-Level placements at the workshop.

Notably, these placements are paid — which is not mandatory, but a reflection of how much ERIKS value the skills and contributions of the next generation.

This alignment between TfL’s vision and our ESG-driven approach ensures that together, we’re making a positive, lasting social impact.

Dedication pays dividends

While the new Greenford workshop has reduced the carbon emissions of motor maintenance for TfL, it has also increased production. So TfL can expect a continuing, consistent and quicker supply of quality rewinds to keep the trains running.

Whether it’s a workshop dedicated to a single customer, a local workshop with specialist skills for local industries, or an on site solution with ERIKS experts always on hand, ERIKS can help to optimise your maintenance, repair and operational performance, just like they did for TfL.

You could say it’s just the ticket.

For more information on Engineering solutions and to get in touch with one of our Engineering Specialists please contact your local ERIKS Service Centre, who will be happy to discuss your options.

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