The 200 m-long hall is designed around the TIM (Timetable Integrated Maintenance) principle and includes two through tracks accessible from both sides. The layout allows maintenance on long single-unit trains without uncoupling and enables up to four trains to be handled simultaneously.
The new infrastructure supports shorter, more frequent maintenance interventions. Under the TIM model, trains enter the workshop on average every two weeks for maintenance slots of around four hours, often scheduled during off-peak periods and overnight to maximise morning peak availability.
Additional assets at the site include new cleaning platforms and a 370 m-long external inspection pit equipped with multiple workstations. A mobile pantograph platform allows roof-level access, reducing handling time during inspections. SNCB has also installed an industrial signalling system and new shunting equipment to move trains within the depot.
Sustainability measures form part of the project. The hall is equipped with more than 900 solar panels with a combined capacity of 400 kWp, supplying part of the workshop’s electricity demand. Rainwater collection systems have also been installed. SNCB stated the project contributes to its target of increasing installed photovoltaic capacity fivefold by 2032.
Ergonomic considerations include deeper inspection pits, a lower workshop floor relative to access aisles, and the use of automated tool lockers, mobile platforms and lifting equipment.
The Ostend workshop employs around 250 staff and handles maintenance, repair and cleaning for nearly 400 trainsets and locomotives per month, serving operations in West Flanders and other regions. Over the past five years, more than 100 employees have been recruited at the site.
The Ostend project is the fifth large maintenance hall commissioned by SNCB in recent years, following Arlon, Hasselt, Kinkempois and Melle. It forms part of SNCB’s 2023–2032 investment plan, which allocates EUR 1.4bn to workshops and maintenance infrastructure, around 15% of the group’s total investment budget.
