 The commissioning of the new wheel lathe subsequently ended the long running necessity to tow any units requiring wheel turning to the lathe at Allerton depot (located near ) behind a Class 08 diesel shunter, with units transferring from and back to the Merseyrail network via the crossover at .Merseyrail's fleet of and 508 units is scheduled to be replaced between 2019 and 2021 by a fleet of units built by Stadler Rail at Bussnang, Switzerland.As part of the overall fleet replacement project, which will cost £460 million, both Kirkdale and Birkenhead North depots will be upgraded to a standard which will be capable of maintaining the new trains.