National Express started to upgrade their existing Walsall depot to accommodate hydrogen buses in 2021. They needed to do this in order to meet their net zero carbon targets for 2030. The initial work was to accommodate 20 hydrogen buses with the view to extending the provision in future once Hydrogen buses became more widely used.
Driving Towards a Sustainable Future: Transformation of National Express’ Walsall Depot for Hydrogen Bus Operations
Summary
Situations
LCMB were asked to support National Express with the initial due diligence and design, procure the contract and oversee the contractor works from start to finish.
Actions
We started our work by producing a paper to outline the merits and risks associated with converting the depot for hydrogen operation. As we were engaged with the design team, safety specialists and the depot operations from the start LCMB were able to identify a safe and effective way to install the specialist hydrogen kit.
Once the design process was completed and signed off; we oversaw the Project Management for the build stage, working closely with the Main Contractors, the specialist M+E sub-contractors and the Risk Management team.
Benefits
- Supporting National Express in moving towards their net zero carbon target
- Building one of Europe’s largest hydrogen bus depots
- Creating a safe working practice for hydrogen busses for National Express
Challenges and Achievements
As Hydrogen vehicle operations is a new technology LCMB conducted desk-based research and there were many on-the-job lessons learnt.
As this was such an intricate project, there was a significant amount of engagement with specialist M&E suppliers and contractors. This was beneficial in terms of understanding the specialist requirements of working with hydrogen but this was a complex stakeholder piece to manage.
Overall LCMB has successfully delivered a functioning hydrogen maintenance bay for our client.
I had the pleasure of working with LCMB during the development of our Perry Barr Bus Depot. The depot was carefully designed to be future-proof for our transition to an all-electric vehicle (EV) fleet. The team at LCMB led the construction project from design to handover and were dedicated, professional and exceeded our expectations. Communication was clear throughout and the project was completed on target.
We look forward to future collaborations and highly recommend LCMB as a reliable partner for any businesses seeking help and expertise in the built environment”
Adam Cook UK Property Director
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LCMB improves the financial and environmental sustainability of buildings and estates, and the productivity and well-being of the people using them. We do this by reducing building operating costs, energy used and improving building space and its’ utilisation. We offer Workplace Performance, Facilities Management, Project Management and Resource optimisation support.
Amongst others our clients include King’s College London, Birmingham Airport, Tata Technologies, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Bouygues Energies & Services.
