Steve Rotheram — Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region — buried a time capsule on 16 May at the site of new depot facilities in Kirkdale, where Stadler will maintain the 52 electric multiple units (EMUs) it is supplying for Merseyrail services around Liverpool.

The depot is being built by BAM Nuttall under a £20 million contract awarded last year by Stadler Rail Services UK.

It is due to be finished before the first of the new EMUs is delivered in June next year; the full fleet is expected to be in service in 2021.

The contract also includes refurbishment of the existing Birkenhead North depot, which will be retained for overnight servicing and cleaning.

The four-car EMUs will be 65m long, but the new facility is being built to accommodate EMUs up to 80m long.