 | |
| Industry | Train & carriage manufacturing & maintenance |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | British Rail Workshops |
| Founded | 1 January 1970 |
| Defunct | September 1992 |
| Fate | Privatised |
| Successor | ABB |
| Headquarters | Derby, England |
| Parent | British Railways Board (1969–1989) |
British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was therolling stock manufacturing and maintenance subsidiary ofBritish Rail.
It was established on 1 January 1970 by theBritish Railways Board to operate its 14 rolling stock maintenance centres and to provide construction, maintenance, and repair services to Britain’s railways. A key activity of BREL was the manufacturing of new rolling stock, such as theInterCity 125 trainset, theMark 3 carriage, and theBritish Rail Class 58 freight locomotive. Both domestic and international sales were pursued; rolling stock produced by BREL was exported to various nations, includingIreland,Kenya,Gabon,Taiwan,Sweden,Malaysia,Yugoslavia,Thailand, andBangladesh. Numerous projects were undertaken on a collaborative basis with private sector manufacturers, includingBrush Traction,Metro-Cammell, andMetropolitan-Vickers. BREL also built numerous prototype rail vehicles, such as theClass 140 andClass 210DEMUs and the experimental high-speedAdvanced Passenger Train (APT)tilting train.
Throughout the 1980s, BREL was subjected to repeated restructuring and job cuts; various works, such asAshford,Shildon, andSwindon were closed permanently. The organisation was effectively cut in two when the maintenance arm was split off as British Rail Maintenance Limited in 1987. The British government sought to make BREL more internationally competitive. The design and building of trains wasprivatised in 1989,[1] purchased by the Swiss-Swedish conglomerateAsea Brown Boveri (40%),Trafalgar House (40%), and a management-employee buy-out (20%). AfterABB became the sole shareholder in September 1992, it was subsumed into ABB Transportation.
BREL was established by theBritish Railways Board on 1 January 1970 to take over the management of its 14 rolling stock maintenance centres, includingAshford,Crewe,Derby Litchurch Lane,Derby Locomotive,Doncaster,Eastleigh,Glasgow,Horwich,Shildon,Swindon,Wolverton, andYork.[2][3] The principal object of BREL was the provision of a construction, maintenance, and repair services to Britain’s railways.[4][5]
A key activity of BREL was the manufacturing of new rolling stock for use by British Rail. Amongst those rail vehicles is theInterCity 125 trainset; produced between 1975 and 1982 and commonly referred to as theHigh Speed Train, was a diesel-powered high speed passenger train that travelled faster than any previous production British train.[6][7][8] In addition to production types, BREL built numerous prototypes, such as theClass 210DEMU and the experimental high-speedAdvanced Passenger Train (APT)tilting train.[9]
BREL did not have amonopoly on the manufacture of new rail vehicles; various private companies, such asBrush Traction,Metro-Cammell, andMetropolitan-Vickers amongst others, also manufactured rolling stock for British Rail, although in general, it was built to specifications produced by BREL. Furthermore, BREL often acted as asubcontractor to a main contractor, such asGEC, which supplied traction equipment. These contracts typically required BREL to build the frames, body shells, andbogies and install the traction and ancillary equipment of the primary contractor. The majority of the electric locomotive construction programmes of the 1980s, such asClasses 89,90, and91, was carried out in this manner. TheSprinter andPacer families ofdiesel multiple-units (DMUs) were also manufactured with an emphasis on collaboration and competitive forces.[10][11]
In addition to the domestic market, BREL pursued international sales. The Mark 2 carriage proved to be attractive abroad, and derivatives were exported toIreland,Kenya, andTaiwan. BREL's entry to the Chinese market in the late 1980s was hoped to lead to expansive orders for as many as 1,500 carriages.[10] Freight wagons of various sorts were produced for overseas customers inSweden,Malaysia,Yugoslavia, andBangladesh. BREL was also a major supplier of components and general engineering equipment to numerous businesses that were not primarily involved in railways, such as theBritish Steel Corporation.[4] During the 1980s, BREL produced theBritish Rail Class 58 freight locomotive, which it had developed with the intention of attracting international orders.[12][13]
Throughout the 1980s, various sites operated by BREL were permanently closed, including Ashford Works in 1981, Shildon in 1984, and Swindon in 1986.[14][15] During 1987, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Glasgow, and Wolverton were transferred to the newly createdBR Maintenance.[4][16] The maintenance requirements of British Rail's rolling stock was reduced as newer vehicles, such as theMark 3 carriages, were introduced that were designed to minimise operating costs; British Rail also progressively increased its use of electric traction which required less maintenance than diesel-powered trains, further reducing demand for BREL's services and leading to cuts in personnel employed by the organisation.[10][17] The loss of such jobs and the closure of certain sites became a politically charged matter during the late 1980s, which included threats ofindustrial action and allegations of insufficient investment.[10][18][19]
As early as 1986, the British government were examining operations to privatise BREL and make it more competitive on the international market.[10] TheSecretary of State for Transport announced on 24 November 1987 that BREL would be sold, with a plan to invite offers by the spring of 1988.[20] Accordingly, amid the widerprivatisation of British Rail during the 1990s, BREL was sold via amanagement buyout, with management and employees owning 20% andAsea Brown Boveri andTrafalgar House 40% each.[21][22][18] At the time of the management buyout, BREL's locations comprised Crewe, York, and two separate works in Derby; Derby Locomotive Works was closed in 1991.[23][4] In March 1992,ABB bought out the other shareholders, making BREL a wholly owned subsidiary. It was subsumed into ABB Transportation in September 1992.[24][25][4]
The vast majority of BREL's output was rolling stock forBritish Rail, includingMark 2 andMark 3 carriages, the latter for locomotive haulage andInterCity 125 diesel High-Speed Trains. BREL built theNIR 80 Class diesel-electric multiple units forNorthern Ireland Railways. Other Mark 3 derived vehicles includedClass 150 diesel multiple units in the 1980s and numerous electric multiple units such asClasses 313 and317.
BREL had success in the export market, notably with Mark 2 and Mark 3 carriages forIarnród Éireann and theTaiwan Railway EMU100 series.[26] Rolling stock was also manufactured forGhana,Kenya,Malaysia, andTanzania.[27][28][29][30]
BREL also produced somerailbuses.
Media related toBritish Rail Engineering Limited at Wikimedia Commons