Metroline has opened a newly rebuilt depot in Brentford, West London. It will house more than 100 buses that serve eight routes and has been built on the site of the old Brentford garage, which dated to the 1960s.
The ComfortDelGro subsidiary describes the premises as “London’s newest and most impressive bus garage.” The project has been jointly developed with partners that include Waterside Place, McAleer and Rushe, and Gardiner and Theobald.
The depot complements wider redevelopment of the Brentford Lock West area and sits on around 2.3 acres of land with bright and spacious interiors to provide a comfortable working environment. Modern facilities have been installed to help drivers and engineers to work and rest.
The new garage represents significant investment by Metroline and ComfortDelGro. The whole project has cost around £19 million and is part of the owning company’s ongoing growth in the UK and Europe that will also take Metroline into the Greater Manchester franchised bus market in early 2025.
An opening ceremony on 12 July was attended by High Commissioner for Singapore to the UK Ng Teck Hean (pictured, centre) along with ComfortDelGro Chair Mark Greaves, Managing Director and Group CEO Cheng Siak Kian, Europe CEO Edward Thomas, and Metroline CEO Sean O’Shea. Transport for London Director of Buses Nick Owen was also present.
Mr Thomas says: “The extensive redevelopment of Brentford bus garage demonstrates the importance of Metroline to ComfortDelGro Europe’s wider operations in the UK and Europe, which continue to grow across a range of transport sectors.
“By investing in the new garage and our employees, we are building on our successes to ensure that we continue to deliver one of the UK’s best bus operations here in London and beyond.”
Adds Mr O’Shea: “We are proud of our new Brentford bus garage, which provides a vital service to our customers in West London.
“The rebuilt garage has been modernised on every front and we are excited to provide our employees at Brentford with a new working environment that is at the heart of the redeveloped Brentford Lock community.
“This is truly a garage fit for the needs and challenges of the 21st century and it is in the perfect position to serve as a launchpad for London’s busiest routes for many years to come.”
