Avanti West Coast Pendolinos to Undergo 642m GBP Refurbishment

The Alstom Pendolino fleet operating for the West Coast Partnership franchise will undergo a major refurbishment.

There are currently 56 electric Pendolinos in passenger service on the West Coast Mainline. All of them are to undergo an overhaul in a contract worth 642m GBP. This is the deal Alstom signed with the new franchise operator Avanti West Coast (Trenitalia / First Group). The contract has a delivery period of seven years. This aspect of the contract is worth 127m GBP.

Alstom will also maintain the refurbished Pendolinos until 2026 alongside the new fleet the franchise operator has ordered from Hitachi.

Pendolino Overhaul

The first Alstom Pendolino to start operating on the West Coast Mainline entered passenger service in 2003. The overhaul works will provide customers with more comfortable seating, improvements to the shop, new toilets, improved lighting, new interiors, and the installation of at-seat power and better wifi throughout the trains. New maintenance programmes with contribute to better performance as well.

Avanti West Coast Pendolino
Avanti West Coast launch on 8 December 2019 | here: an Alstom Pendolino in full Avanti West Coast livery

Most of this work will take place at Alstom’s Transport and Technology Centre in Widnes. Key depots in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxley and Wembley will also be involved.

Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, said:

“In the Liverpool City Region, we're trying to create a fair and inclusive economy where local people benefit from investment. The Combined Authority have provided 3.4m GBP in funding to help Alstom open their ground-breaking facility in Halton. I'm really pleased that – because of this brand-new facility – local people will benefit through jobs and apprenticeships for years to come through projects like this.”

The deal, which will see the creation of 100 jobs is likely the UK’s biggest-ever train upgrade programme.

Phil Whittingham, Managing Director, Avanti West Coast, said:

“The Pendolino is an iconic passenger train and we're delighted to be giving it a new lease of life. This deal will improve the experience of passengers and ensure the fleet can continue to serve communities up and down the west coast route in the years ahead.”

Avanti West Coast started operating the West Coast Partnership on 8 December 2019.

Also read:

Get your news featured on Railway-News

Please fill in the contact form opposite. A member of the team will be in touch shortly.







    We'd love to send you the latest news and information from the world of Railway-News. Please tick the box if you agree to receive them.

    For your peace of mind here is a link to our Privacy Policy.

    By submitting this form, you consent to allow Railway-News to store and process this information.

    Subscribe
    Follow Railway-News on LinkedIn
    Follow Railway-News on Twitter