Warrington firm to help construct 'state of the art' train depot following £20m deal

Stadler Rail Service UK has signed the contract with BAM Nuttall, which is based at Taurus Park, off Europa Boulevard, to deliver the depot in Kirkdale in Liverpool and to refurbish to modern standards at Birkenhead North's existing depot.

The approximate £20 million deal with the construction company's Warrington office is a first step for Stadler in 'building up its supply chain' in the UK.

BAM Nuttall will use UK-based suppliers for the design and construction and sourcing of all materials domestically from the northern construction market.

In Kirkdale, Stadler and BAM Nuttall will build a new ‘state of the art’ depot, dedicated to the new fleet of trains.

They will all be in service by 2021 and will have a 35-year life cycle.

With the contract signed, Stadler and BAM Nuttall can now make progress on the initial preparatory works this year.

The depot works are due to be completed in 2019, in time for the arrival of new vehicles for testing.

Stadler will transfer around 150 Merseyrail engineering staff into its own operations, bringing the number of Stadler employees in the UK to more than 200 by 2019.

Jürg Gygax, executive vice president of Stadler, who is responsible for the service division, said: “Having just signed the contract with Merseytravel to provide a new generation of metro trains for Liverpool, we are very pleased to already be able to confirm BAM Nuttall as the primary subcontractor for the depot works.

"Working closely with their Warrington office, this deal underlines our commitment to the UK – it will help the majority of the overall value of our contracts retained in the UK and the north west, both in the supply chain and in the employment of engineering staff.

"With the modern maintenance facilities these works will provide, Stadler will be able to maintain the fleet to the highest standards of reliability and customer presentation."

Stadler Rail Service UK is a subsidiary of Stadler.