UK: Arriva TrainCare’s Crewe depot has completed work on the first of 29 Class 170 diesel multiple-units operated by CrossCountry which are to be refurbished by 2028.
The multi-million pound programme has been funded by leasing company Porterbrook. The scope includes fitting the DMUs originally built by Bombardier Transportation with new tables, seats and carpets, mains and USB sockets at all seats, a full interior and exterior repaint, refreshed onboard toilets, enhanced passenger information screens with more destination information, new CCTV and automatic passenger counting equipment.
The first class area has been removed to provide increased standard class capacity.
The refurbished DMUs will be used on CrossCountry’s inter-regional routes between Cardiff and Nottingham via Birmingham and between Birmingham and Stansted Airport via Leicester.
‘We know that these trains provide the bulk of the train service for a good portion of our network, and we hope passengers enjoy the significant improvements in convenience and comfort on those journeys’, said newly appointed CrossCountry Managing Director Shiona Rolfe on March 5.
Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook, said ’as passenger needs evolve, it’s important that our trains do too’.
Refurbishment of CrossCountry’s Class 220/221 Voyager inter-city DEMU fleet is scheduled to begin later this year.
