RPS has won high praise for the new Hitachi Traincare Facility in Ashford, Kent. The project is also short listed for an award in the Quality in Construction Awards (Collaborative Engineered Design category) in March 2008.

A letter to RPS from client Hitachi Europe Ltd refers to the impressive response the facility received at its opening, when the Japanese Ambassador described it as ‘magnificent’, and the Secretary of State declared it to be ‘stunning’.

The traincare facility will service new Hitachi Javelin trains whose rapid speed will halve journey times from Kent to London and also take spectators from central London to the 2012 Olympics site in under eight minutes.

Hitachi Europe has praised the ‘fantastic design’ of the traincare facility, describing how several Japanese colleagues have referred to it as the best they have seen. RPS provided Architectural and Civil/Structural Engineering designs.

The success of the design of the building is crucial to not only improve travel facilities for the Olympics but to also promote an exciting and highly efficient service presenting high quality technology and innovative design, representative of Hitachi Europe Ltd.

Alistair Dormer, Hitachi’s General Manager says: ‘Future maintenance facilities, particularly those concerned with high-speed and high reliability services, will surely follow the design concepts and standards employed at Ashford – it has set a new standard and is a real credit to all involved in its design.’

For more information please contact:
RPS Newark – Planning & Development
T: +44 (0) 1636 605 700