The first phase of a multi-million pound development to house and maintain First Great Western's £80m fleet of new trains has been revealed.

The facility at First Great Western's High Speed Train Depot in West London, built in conjunction with Railtrack, is the only one of its kind on the rail network's Great Western Zone, and will allow more effective maintenance of its new Adelante fleet.

The first trains entered official timetabled service in June, and the rest of the 14-strong fleet will be delivered in the coming months, increasing First Great Western's fleet by 25 per cent. Work is also underway at a parallel development in First Great Western's depot at St Philips Marsh in Bristol, to expand overall depot capacity.

The 'bogie drop' maintenance pit at the Old Oak Common depot allows work on engines, transmission and other under-floor equipment to be carried out much more efficiently, and so ensure the trains are available for use. It has been made possible by a unique funding arrangement with Railtrack, and eventually 50 extra full-time jobs will be provided on the two sites.

The 1,900 square-metre building at Old Oak Common also includes offices, platforms for easy access to roof-mounted equipment, an overhead crane, hydraulic jacks capable of lifting 140 tonnes and has been designed to minimise energy use and its environmental impact. The existing train sheds will be refurbished by next year, including re-roofing and improvements to the working environment.