Work has officially started on the new Stadler depot at Kirkdale.
Attended by Mayor of the Liverpool Region Steve Rotheram, Stadler Executive Vice President Jürg Gygax, and Liverpool City Region Transport Portfolio Holder Liam Robinson, an event today (May 16) marks the start of construction of a £20 million depot that in turn forms part of the £460m introduction of 52 four-car Class 777 electric multiple units built by the Swiss company.
BAM Nuttall is carrying out the construction. The Kirkdale facility will feature washing and stabling facilities, a maintenance shed with run-through tracks, office space, and a simulator suite. The design includes potential for the depot to be extended for 80-metre trainsets. It is due to be finished by next year ahead of the arrival of the first ‘777s’. The new fleet is expected to be fully in traffic by 2021.
“By making Liverpool our home in the UK, Stadler is committed to investing in our presence in Kirkdale to help us secure more contracts around the country,” said Gygax.
Rotheram added: “New trains for our region will better connect 1.5 million people to training and apprenticeships, work and leisure. They’ll also boost the economy by £70m a year.”
- For an in-depth report on a visit to Stadler's Bussnang factory and Erlen commissioning centre, read RAIL 853, published on May 23, and available digitally on Android/iPad from May 19.
AndrewJG8918 - 18/05/2018 03:18
If this was to be a manufacturing plant aswell a maintenance depot. Then I think that Stadler could manufacture the Class 777’s at the new manufacturing depot in Merseyside that will replace the Class 507’s and Class 508’s on the Wirral and Northern Lines and possibly could enter service from mid/late 2019 or early/mid 2020. With Stadler working on the Class 745’s EMU and Class 755’s Bi-Mode Flirts for Greater Anglia in Switzerland that the new trains will be transported to the UK by rail and to enter service from early/mid 2019 & to replace the Class 153, Class 156 and Class 170 DMU’s and Class 90+Mk3’s & Class 379 Electrostar EMU’s. With the Class 720’s to enter service from next year that will replace the Class 317, Class 321, Class 360 Desiro and Class 379 Electrostar EMU’s. As the Class 720’s Aventra EMU’s are manufactured at Bombardier manufacturing depot in Derby.