Mayor opens £7m bus depot in Battersea
Monday 17th May 2010
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, opened Abellio’s new £7m bus depot in the heart of Battersea.
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Standing on the site of the old Victorian depot, which was originally used for train stabling, the new facility incorporates important design features to reduce the environmental impact of its bus operations.
Buses operating from Battersea, already among the greenest in London, will benefit from state of the art environmental design, which will allow the depot to harvest up to 41,000 litres of rainwater to reduce the need for mains water for cleaning.
Holding almost 200 buses, the location of the depot close to zone 1 will allow for more efficient operation of the network by cutting down on out of service mileage and further reducing the environmental impact of services. A Workplace Travel Plan will reduce the dependency of car usage by staff and promote the use of alternative sustainable modes of transport to employees and visitors, including walking, and cycling.
Commenting on the opening the Mayor of London said: “Abellio have built a superb facility in Battersea that mirrors the cleanest and greenest credentials we wish to be the hallmark of the capital’s bus fleet.”
Abellio’s investment in this important new facility is the latest evidence that the London Bus Network continues to thrive and grow to meet the needs of passengers. Their £7m investment demonstrates confidence and a long term commitment to working closely with TfL to meet the challenge of that growth in a sustainable manner.”
David Brown, TfL’s MD for Surface Transport added, “This investment is an important step in supporting TfL’s aspirations to provide a world class, reliable public transport service with the capacity to meet the growing demand for travel in London. Abellio is a welcome arrival in the London bus market and we look forward to working with them closely in the coming years. ”
Chief Executive of Abellio Group, Anton Valk, said, “This is a great day for Abellio, and we are very proud that the Mayor has made time to come here today to open our new facility. We entered the London bus market less than a year ago and this depot cements Abellio’s relationship with London. It will also make a vital and sustainable contribution to the ongoing regeneration of Battersea.”
Paul McGowan, MD of the bus company Abellio London added, “This investment has been delivered over a number of years in close cooperation with stakeholders. I would like to thank all those involved for working so closely with Abellio to deliver the depot on time and to budget, in particular Lambert Smith Hampton for project management and Spencer for design and delivery. I would also like to pay tribute to our staff who have laboured for a long time under very difficult and cramped conditions. They deserve this more than anyone.”
Pictured left to right: Anton Valk, Chief Executive of Abellio Group; Boris Johnson, Mayor of London; Paul McGowan, Managing Director of Abellio London & Surrey
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Notes to Editors
Details of the new depot:
Environmental performance
For rain water harvesting, there have been three 9,000 litre tanks for storing rain water installed at the site which will primarily be used for Bus Washing, reducing the need for mains supplied water. There is also 14,000 litres of storage within the bus wash system and this together with the 19,000 litres total at the bus wash will provide 41,000 litres of stored water for the bus wash and the site.
The Workplace Travel Plan will aim to reduce the dependency of car usage by staff and to promote the use of alternative sustainable modes of transport to employees and visitors, including walking, cycling and increased use of the local bus and train network, which the depot is well placed for access.
Size
At present the garage operates 140 buses, this having increased during 2009 from 100 vehicles in May 2009. The total capacity of the new site will be for the operation of 195 buses. Of the current fleet, 56% is less than one year old, offering the latest environmental performance standards for the fleet helping to improve the environmental impact of the bus fleet in London.
The Abellio Group
Abellio is a wholly owned subsidiary of NS (Dutch Railways) aimed at acquiring and operating multimodal passenger transport franchises outside the Netherlands. Abellio’s aim is to become a major player in the European passenger transport market.
As a subsidiary of Dutch Railways, Abellio is able to draw on decades of experience and expertise from a company which operates reliable, punctual and innovative rail and bus services in one of the highest density transport networks on the continent. This experience is shared with Abellio’s operating companies through a highly structured programme which facilitates and drives the exchange of international best practice between its businesses.
Abellio currently operates rail services in the UK through Merseyrail and Northern Rail, in an equal joint venture with Serco. In 2008 Abellio also commenced bus services in the Czech Republic through the acquisition of local operator Probo Bus, and the German bus and rail market through the acquisition of Abellio Germany. In 2009 Abellio entered the UK bus market through Travel London and Travel Surrey, now operating as Abellio London and Abellio Surrey.
Key facts and figures about Abellio’s businesses
Merseyrail *
Suburban rail transport in and around Liverpool
1,200 employees
110,000 passengers per day
177 vehicles
780 services per day
Northern Rail *
Regional and suburban rail across Northern England
4,600 employees
230,000 passengers per day
617 vehicles
2,600 services per day
Abellio London and Abellio Surrey
Bus operations across Central London, South London and Surrey
1,600 employees
270,000 passengers per day
507 buses on 71 routes
Abellio Germany
Bus and rail operations in Hessen, North Rhine Westphalia, Sachsen
1,200 employees
23,000 passengers per day (rail)
600 buses, 117 vehicles (rail)
Probo Bus
Urban and suburban bus operations in the Central Bohemian region west of Prague
200 employees
17,500 passengers per day
120 buses on 70 routes
NS Dutch Railways (parent company)
Core passenger rail network regional rail and bus services
Rail:
28,000 employees
1.2m passengers per day
2,928 vehicles (of which 1,174 double deck)
5,200 services per day
Bus*:
1,600 employees
100,000 passengers per day
533 buses
* In partnership
For further information, please contact:
Cameron Jones, Director Public Affairs, 07766 075 077 or 020 7430 8270
2nd Floor,1 Ely Place, London, EC1N 6RY
www.abellio.com