Abellio London Bus opens the doors of a new depot set to power EV routes in West London.

July 12 2022

On 11 July, Abellio London Bus opened the doors on its brand new depot at Dawley Road, in Hayes. This 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. Hayes goes into operation with full EV capacity and highlights Abellio London Bus’ continued investment into world-leading electric technology and infrastructure. The depot will be the home of new state-of-the-art EV buses operating on route U5. 

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 new depot has been designed as a dedicated operating centre, and has 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. The new building provides a step-change improvement in facilities for Abellio staff and is fully accessible.  Maintenance, driver training and driver theory testing will take place at an additional new facility in Waterway Park 0.5 miles away. 

The mobilisation of the depot and ongoing operational delivery is led by Lorna Murphy, Operations Director, 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 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, Operations Director, 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.