July 22 2022
Abellio London Bus opens the doors of a new depot set to power EV routes in West London.
On 11 July, operator Abellio London Bus will open the doors on its brand new depot for West London in Hayes. The new depot at Dawley Road in Hayes replaces Abellio’s North Hyde Gardens site.
This is Abellio’s first fully owned bus depot in London, it is a purpose built operating centre that houses up to 56 buses. Routes 278, 350, 482, U5, U7 and U9 will operate from here, serving customers across West London. Built with construction partner Boshers Master Builders, the depot sits on a completely new site and was constructed during lockdown, with planning permission granted in March 2021 and ground being broken in August 2021.
The Hayes depot has been designed as a dedicated operating centre, the building features a living roof and nesting boxes alongside an energy efficiency rating of B. It also features a wall of historic significance that dates back to the Tudor period, which has been rebuilt using handmade Tudor bricks and a unique brick bond. Maintenance, driver training and driver theory testing will take place at an additional new facility in Waterway Park 0.5 miles away.
Hayes goes into operation with full EV capacity and highlights Abellio London Bus’ continued investment into world-leading electric technology and infrastructure. In the last year Abellio has introduced 41 electric buses across their London fleet, adding to the 34 already in service. By the end of 2022 the business will have 125 fully electric buses in service.
The Hayes depot will be the home of new state-of-the-art EV buses operating on route U5. These buses, manufactured by Alexander Dennis, have a range of innovative and modern features - including a more open feel, USB chargers and mobile phone holders in the seats, a contrasting colour scheme for priority seats, larger wheelchair and buggy area, and new digital information displays to improve accessibility.
The electrification of the depot was provided by Enel X, complete with the installation, maintenance, and servicing of six 300kW high powered Enel X Way charging stations for the EV buses. The charging infrastructure is both fast and smart, leveraging technology to maximise efficiency such as charging at off-peak times. Connection to the grid was supported by ESP Utilities Group, via an 11kV substation providing a 2,000kVA capacity for the bus depot.
The mobilisation of the depot and ongoing operational delivery is led by Lorna Murphy, Director of Operations, Abellio London Bus and Marta Leszczynska, Operations Manager, Hayes Depot. These women leaders in transport have successfully led the route transfers to the new site from a temporary facility and the introduction of the new U5 EV fleet into operation at Hayes.
Louise Cheeseman, Director of Bus at TfL will be attending on July 11th to mark the official opening of Hayes alongside Lorna Murphy, Marta Leszczynska, and Kimberly Littlefield, Communications Manager from Enel X. Lauren Diederich of ESP will also be attending. We are delighted to be celebrating the opening of this vital transport hub and marking the contribution of these dedicated women in transport.
Louise Cheeseman said, “The opening of Abellio’s new Hayes depot is another exciting step in London’s journey towards a zero-emission bus fleet, with the depot’s EV charging infrastructure modernising the industry, bringing fresh skills and a new generation of engineers and drivers. This will see us add to the more than 850 zero-emission buses already on our city’s roads. These cleaner, greener buses, including the state-of-the-art models now operating on route U5, are part of the Mayor's drive to clean up our air, reduce the effects of climate change by bringing down carbon emissions and cut congestion on our roads.”
Lorna Murphy, Director of Operations, Abellio London Bus said: “The opening of our Hayes depot marks a leap forward for Abellio London Bus. This depot allows us to provide more accessible and comfortable electric journeys for our customers in West London, whilst working with TfL to decarbonise and support climate resilience as we lead the way toward a zero emission fleet.”
Tony Whittle, Head of Enel X UK & Ireland said: “We congratulate Abellio on the opening of their new Hayes depot, which is a symbol of our collective Net Zero future. It is an honour and a pleasure to partner with Abellio on this innovative electrification project in a long-term capacity, and we look forward to the opportunity to further their sustainability initiatives in a way that delivers value for all of West London.”
Kevin O’Connor, CEO, ESP Utilities Group said: “It is wonderful to celebrate the launch of Abellio’s new Hayes Depot and recognise the important step this takes on their journey towards a zero emission fleet. Depots that have a full EV capacity play a huge part towards realising the Mayor’s zero emission ambition for London by 2030 . As part of our partnership with Abellio, we supported the connection to the grid through the provision of technical support, value engineering, procurement support and accelerated land rights.”
In the last year Abellio London Buses have clocked up over 2 million EV miles. The opening of the Hayes depot will support the business to continue providing customers with more comfortable journeys that actively contribute to making London’s streets cleaner and greener for all.
For further enquiries please contact press.enquiries@abellio.co.uk
Notes for editors:
Abellio London operates 51 bus routes in the capital on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), plus rail replacement and event services across the UK. It operates around nine per cent of London’s bus network, running 800 vehicles and employing 2,500 staff across six depots in Central, South and West London. Abellio London was a double winner in the 2021 Bus and Coach Awards and is a finalist in the British Quality Foundation’s EFQM Excellence awards, following a 5-star rating in the BQF Recognised For Excellence assessment. In 2020 it was named Operator of the Year at the London Transport Awards, and also helped bring the first Caetano electric single deck buses to the UK, which were the safest in London with inclusion of TfL Bus Safety Standard measures. Since 2019 it has held Earned Recognition status with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which recognises it as an exemplary operator.
Enel X Global Retail is the Enel Group’s global business line that offers services to accelerate innovation and drive the energy transition. World leader in the sector of advanced energy solutions, Enel X Global Retail manages services such as demand response for approximately 6.6 GW of total capacity globally and 59 MW of behind-the-meter storage capacity installed worldwide. Through its advanced solutions, including energy management and financial services, Enel X Global Retail provides each partner with an intuitive and personalised ecosystem of technological platforms and consulting services, focused on the principles of sustainability and the circular economy in order to provide people, communities, institutions and companies with an alternative model that respects the environment and integrates technological innovation into daily life. Each solution has the power to transform the goals of decarbonization, electrification and digitalization into sustainable actions for all, in order to build a more sustainable and efficient world together.
Enel X Way is the Enel Group's new global business line entirely dedicated to electric mobility. Currently, Enel X Way manages nearly 350,000 charging points, both directly and through interoperability agreements in place around the world. As a global platform for e-Mobility, the company is focused on developing flexible charging technologies and solutions to improve the customer experience by supporting the electrification of transport for consumers, businesses, cities and public administrations.
ESP Utilities Group is one of the UK’s longest established independent utility businesses and the largest adoption-only IDNO. ESP is leading the EV charging infrastructure connections market in the UK; supporting a wide range of customers to connect to the grid more quickly, with less complexity and best value. Headquartered in Leatherhead, Surrey, ESP has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and operates around one million utility network connections.
