Award-winning construction and property consultancy, Summers-Inman, has been appointed in a multidisciplinary capacity, to work on a £500k project to install new charging infrastructure for electric buses on behalf of The Go-Ahead Group plc (Go-Ahead).
The electric charging infrastructure will be installed at Go North East’s (GNE) Riverside depot, where the buses will be based. Go North East is the largest bus operator in the North East of England. The £8.5m depot, in which Summers-Inman also played a key role, was opened in 2014 and is home to 160 buses.
The project called ‘GNE Riverside EV’, will form a key part of the bus operator’s commitment to invest in sustainable transport as well as tackle poor air quality in the North East. Electric charging points will be rolled out across more locations to create additional capacity in readiness for the expansion of the electric bus fleet.
The project started with construction of the necessary infrastructure in November 2019 with completion anticipated in summer 2020. Summers-Inman is providing project management, CDM management and quantity surveying services on the scheme. Other project partners include Sine Consulting, Portland Consulting Engineers and Rainton Construction.
Summers-Inman has successfully completed numerous projects for Go-Ahead, including the Croydon depot roof refurbishment, Bournemouth depot demolition, new build maintenance garage and Grey Street office refurbishment and was selected for the project due to this experience.
Commenting on the win, Malcolm Shiels, director at Summers-Inman, said: “We are delighted with this latest appointment on what is an important development for Go North East as the company prepares for the future with a large-scale electric charging facility.
“As CDM manager, we know that health and safety is of paramount importance to our client and we are assisting them to maintain a 24-hour operational depot whilst the project is ongoing.
“We value our relationship with the Go-Ahead Group and are pleased to be able to support Go North East in its goal to lead the way in carbon emissions.”
Go North East is part of the Go-Ahead Group, a public transport company that provides over a billion journeys a year on its bus and trains services in the UK and internationally. Go-Ahead is also a founding member of Greener Journeys, a national alliance of bus companies who are encouraging the modal shift from car to bus and coach to reduce emissions.
Neil Robinson, Property Manager at the Go-Ahead Group said: “We are delighted be working with the team at Summers-Inman, who have solid experience of working with us on a wide range of projects.
“We are looking forward to bringing new, all-electric buses into our fleet, improving services for our customers and moving towards a cleaner and greener operational model to reduce pollution levels within city centres and on our roads.
“I have every confidence that the project will be delivered on time by Summers-Inman and to the highest possible standard.”
The project is due to be complete in July 2020.
Summers-Inman operates nationally with a staff of over 130 employed in seven UK offices including, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester and Newcastle.
The consultancy has an enviable list of blue-chip clients including Aldi, Walkers, PepsiCo, Tesco, McDonalds, Hammerson and Severn Trent Water.