Bunnik, the Netherlands, 20 March 2017 – BAM has been awarded a contract by Stadler Rail Services UK to construct a train depot in Kirkdale and to refurbish to modern standards an existing depot in Birkenhead North. The depot works are due to be completed in 2019.
The Kirkdale facility will include 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 eighty metre long trainsets.
At Birkenhead North, the existing depot will be upgraded with a new washing facility so it will be possible to clean the trains on the Wirral line (Birkenhead North) and the Northern line (Kirkdale). Once the Kirkdale depot is ready for the main maintenance of the new fleet, this facility will focus on overnight servicing and cleaning.
The project is part of an overall scheme won by Stadler to manufacture and maintain a new fleet of 52 metro trains for Merseytravel and Merseyrail for the Liverpool City Region. BAM will use UK based suppliers for the design and construction and sourcing of all materials domestically from the northern construction market.