A three-year project to extend and improve facilities at Tyseley Depot in Birmingham has been completed.

Spencer Group has been in charge of the project, which will provide the capacity for new trains.

They have been working with Network Rail and West Midlands Railway to complete the project, which has been completed ahead of time and under budget.

Over the three years, the work has been separated into work packages 3, 4, and 5.

Work packages 3 and 4 were completed earlier within the scheme and saw the removal of track in preparation for the extension and mechanical and electrical work to the existing building.

Package 5 has seen a 100 metre extension to the existing building, which has provided six car stabling of trains on two roads (11 and 12).

They worked on creating new under carriage maintenance pits for the two new roads and have installed train jacks, two mobile gantries, and an overhead gantry crane.

This upgrade was crucial for West Midlands Railway’s future plans for operations, as the depot was too small for newer fleets. The depot can now handle the railway’s newest fleet, which has four carriages.

It has been future-proofed with the capacity for six carriage trains for when the railway needs it.

“We’re delighted to have handed over the depot on time and to the exceptionally high standard Spencer Group is known for delivering.

“From the beginning of the project we set out to create an environment of collaborative working between all the stakeholders, and the partnership working with the depot interface manager allowed our site team to carry out the works while maintaining normal depot operations.

“A key contributor to the success of the project was the period of Early Contractor Involvement at the start of the project, which enabled our team to develop a detailed understanding of the project and the depot, and ensure the project was fully developed and costed.

“We also foster an open and inclusive environment amongst the team, so site team members feel empowered to make decisions and seek advice when needed, enabling us to overcome any challenges and action solutions quickly and effectively.”

Ryan Jones, Project Director at Spencer Group