TransPennine Express has ceased the overnight servicing of its Nova 3 trains (Class 68/Mk 5a coaches) at the new Scarborough depot following repeated complaints from nearby residents over the noise created by the Class 68 locomotives which power the sets. People living near the £7 million facility, which opened in 2019, were particularly concerned about noise in the early hours when testing requires the electric train heating (ETH) supply to the five-coach Mk 5a sets to be active.
When it was constructed, the depot was intended to create around 15 local jobs. Fences were erected to protect nearby houses from depot noise, but after repeated representations from local councillors TPE informed the council that it would cease overnight servicing of the Nova 3 sets from 16 August, with all maintenance and servicing to be carried out at Longsight depot in Manchester. TPE confirmed Scarborough depot would only be used for Nova 3 servicing between 23.00 and 07.00 in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
