Alstom UK to Repaint Virgin’s Pendolino Trains
Alstom has started work to repaint the 56-strong Pendolino fleet of Class 390 ‘tilting’ trains, which are used by Virgin on the West Coast Main Line.
The first train came in to be re-painted on 7 August and will be completed within approximately five weeks. After work on the first three trains is finished, it will take just two weeks to complete the re-painting of each train. The re-painting of all Pendolinos will be delivered by December 2019.
Pendolino Modernisation
The project is the first that Alstom will deliver at its new rail modernisation centre in Widnes, which was opened in July and is the biggest site of its kind in the UK.
Mike Hulme, Managing Director of Trains and Modernisation at Alstom UK, said:
“This time last year our site at Widnes was just an empty field. To see the re-painting work on the first Pendolino is an incredible achievement, and I’m very proud of everything our team has achieved to get here. I’m also pleased to welcome our new staff to Widnes, the majority of whom were recruited locally to work on this project.
“The technology we have in place at Widnes to deliver this contract is second to none in the UK, making this re-painting project the most efficient I have seen. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the Pendolinos go through the repainting process in the coming months.”
A New Lick of Paint
Alstom has installed large-scale, specialist painting booths in the modernisation centre at Widnes, which ensures the re-painting work is completed to the highest quality and in the quickest time. Alstom has also installed Industry 4.0 virtual reality painting simulators to train the team and validate the work.
Over 80 employees have been hired by Alstom to deliver this project, including five apprentices. A further 15 apprentices will join Alstom in September, when Alstom opens the Alstom Academy for Rail on the same site.
Original article © Alstom.
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