Train maintenance staff at Merseyrail’s Birkenhead depot are now working in brighter, drier conditions thanks to a new £2.5m roof over their heads which has been installed without any disruption to train maintenance.

The nine-month long project started in January and one of the first jobs was to build an intricate scaffolding system inside the depot to support a crash deck under the roof that would not interfere below. “In total 14 miles of scaffolding tube was used laid end to end - enough to stretch from Birkenhead to Chester, but it meant the job was completed on time without disrupting the work of the depot.