Chiltern Railways has launched its first refurbished Class 168 train at London Marylebone Station.
These diesel Class 168 trains entered service in 1998. The work to upgrade them was carried out at the Arrive TrainCare facility in Crewe.
The upgrades include:
- A heavy maintenance baseline with battery and air system overhauls
- An exterior repaint
- A multi-million-pound investment in the interior to enhance the passenger environment
- The installation of a new Wi-Fi system and the inclusion of USB charging sockets
The first of these fully refurbished trains is now serving Chiltern Railways customers on routes from London Marylebone between Oxford and Birmingham.
At the launch event, the ribbon cutting took place with Arriva UK Trains Managing Director David Brown, Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan, Rachel Blake MP, and Porterbrook COO Ben Ackroyd.
Richard Allan, Managing Director of Chiltern Railways, said:Chiltern has a comprehensive vision and three-stage plan to modernise and decarbonise our railway for our customers and neighbours.
The first part of the plan is to improve our existing trains with £12m being spent on 85 carriages that were built in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The first train to benefit from that investment is now back in service following a refurbishment that means customers will experience new seat cushions and covers, new carpet, new lighting, better WiFi and new plug sockets that include USB charging points.
The additional Class 168 trains will be refurbished for passenger service in the coming months.
