Expertise and innovation in rail vehicle engineering, maintenance and Traincare.

Gareth Roberts appointed new managing director at UKRL and Steve McBride joins the board as a non-executive director.

UKRL is pleased to announce the appointment of Gareth Roberts as managing director. He will take over from Mark Winter, one of the founding partners, who is stepping down as managing director but will remain as a non-executive director of the business. Gareth joins UKRL from Hitachi Rail where he was UK operations & services director. Prior to joining Hitachi, he spent over 15 years at Bombardier Transportation rising to be general manager of UK services.

Mark said: “This appointment is an essential next step on our journey. We have spent some time looking for an outstanding individual to take on the responsibility of taking UKRL forward and we are confident that Gareth is that person. I want to add that we had interest from some very strong industry candidates, which I think demonstrates how far UKRL has come since the beginnings in Leicester almost 10 years ago. The business has built a strong franchise underpinned by a reputation for engineering excellence and innovation combined with first class customer service, and we are excited about the future under Gareth’s leadership.”

Reflecting on his appointment, Gareth said: “This is a great opportunity for me personally. I’m very much looking forward to leading the team and achieving great things together starting from UKRL’s solid foundations, in the freight sector as well as the passenger business. The expansion into Loughborough and ongoing large investments at the Leicester depot, means that the business has significant opportunities, both to expand the offering to existing operators and partner with new customers. I am also lucky enough to inherit a superb team of people who have a great reputation in the rail sector, which is so important when growing a business.”

UKRL has also appointed Steve McBride as non-executive director of UKRL. Steve brings a wealth of experience from a long career in the railways, including as managing director of Vivarail and customer service director of Angel Trains. Commenting on Gareth and Steve’s appointments, Edward Stevenson , co-chairman of UKRL said: “We are very excited about Gareth and Steve joining UKRL. Gareth is a meticulous and focused leader who we see as ideally placed to front the business, as we continue to focus on execution for both new and existing customers and take the next steps towards realisation of our strategic goals.”

Kristian Mengel, co-chairman of UKRL added: “With Steve joining our board of directors we have been able to strengthen our oversight and strategic planning capabilities. Lastly, we want to thank Mark for all his efforts over the years and we look forward to continuing to benefit from his expertise as a non-executive director of the business.”

We are thrilled to be exhibiting at the third Rolling Stock Networking (RSN) Event in Derby hosted at the Derby Arena on the 6^thJuly. We will be joining over 140 exhibitors at the event, sharing our expertise and meeting likeminded Railway innovators. You will be able to find us at stand H3.

RSN 2023 is a full-scale, international rail show focused specifically on Passenger and Freight Rolling Stock, Technical Enhancements, Depot Equipment, Ancillary Services and the Rail Supply Chain in 2023.

A ceremony took place on 15^th March 2023 to mark the start of construction on a new £1.5 million locomotive maintenance facility at rail vehicle engineering and maintenance provider, UK Rail Leasing Ltd.’s (UKRL), depot in Leicester.

This new facility has been designed to maintain new classes of locomotives and provide UKRL significant extra capacity in Leicester to expand its maintenance business.  It is also expected the expansion, once operational in early 2024, will create 15 new, highly skilled jobs.

Gathering to celebrate the new facility was Mark Winter, managing director at UKRL, with the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby and John Smith, CEO at GB Railfreight (GBRf).

Construction of the new shed, which will be completed in 2023, is being supported by a development loan from HSBC UK.

Mark Winter, managing director at UKRL said: “This expansion in Leicester means we will be playing our part in developing a more efficient rail network by providing maintenance services for clients where they are needed.  The new shed also increases our capacity for all our customers who know our expertise in maintenance and servicing rail vehicles ensures reliability”.

Leicester’s City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “UKRL’s expansion with this new locomotive shed is good news for the city. Since founding in Leicester almost ten years ago, this important and innovative engineering company has gone from strength to strength, making major local investment, creating new skilled jobs and helping to put our city on the map as a fantastic place to do business.”

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said: “For the rail freight sector to grow, we need investments like the one that UKRL are making in Leicester. This state-of-the-art depot will provide a new facility for locomotive maintenance that will improve sustainability and efficiency for freight operators, in addition to driving jobs and growth in the East Midlands region.”