Website www.stobartrail.com Founded 1993 Key person Andrew Tinkler | Founder Andrew Tinkler Area served United Kingdom Parent organization Stobart Group | |
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Type Private limited company Industry Railway maintenance and infrastructure engineering Key people Andrew Tinkler
(Chief Executive Officer) Headquarters Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom | ||
Stobart Rail Limited (formerly W.A. Developments Ltd. and trading as Stobart Rail) is a railway maintenance and infrastructure engineering company in the United Kingdom. Stobart Rail comes under the Rail division of the Stobart Group.
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The original company
Stobart Rail was founded on 25 May 1993 by William Andrew Tinkler as W.A. Developments Civil Engineering in Carlisle, with an initial capital investment of £500. The company was involved in civil engineering and railway infrastructure project contracts. The company gained a contract with Railtrack (now Network Rail). The business was incorporated as W.A. Developments Ltd.
Acquisition of Eddie Stobart
W.A. Developments Ltd.'s parent company, WA Developments (International) Ltd. (a company jointly owned by Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart), acquired Eddie Stobart Ltd., the UK's largest haulage contractor, in February 2004.
Following WA Developments' decision to merge Eddie Stobart Ltd. with the property and ports company the Westbury Property Fund on 15 August 2007 and to list it on the London Stock Exchange as the Stobart Group, W.A. Developments Ltd. initially remained within the ownership of WA Developments.
Sale to the Stobart Group
On 10 March 2008, Stobart Group announced that it would be buying the original W.A. Developments Ltd. civil engineering and railway infrastructure business from WA Developments for £10 million in cash. Upon completion, W.A. Developments Ltd. changed its name to Stobart Rail Limited and W.A. Developments Civil Engineering was re-branded Stobart Rail.
Operations
Stobart Rail holds a Network Rail Principal Contractor's Licence and Rail Plant Operating Company Licence. Stobart Developments undertakes development projects and is delivering improvement works at a number of Stobart Group facilities, including constructing the London Southend Airport railway station.