Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Alstom, a pioneering force in innovative and eco-friendly transport solutions, has inked a deal to revamp CrossCountry’s Voyager trains, enhancing the travel experience for passengers. This £60 million (€70 million) project involves modernizing the train interiors with new seating and tables, as well as updating the exterior with CrossCountry’s latest branding. The refurbishment activities will take place at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane facility, covering 312 railcars, including 136 Voyager (Class 220) and 176 Super Voyager (Class 221) units.
The existing fleet includes 252 cars, supplemented by 12 additional trains, or 60 carriages, previously operated by Avanti West Coast. This upgrade also features the installation of plush new carpets, advanced lighting solutions, and an innovative passenger counting system. Central to the redesign is sustainability; the new seating will be over 95% recyclable and 98% recoverable, and the use of lighter materials will contribute to lower fuel consumption and decreased carbon emissions.
Design preparations are set to start immediately, with physical renovations at the Derby site scheduled from next year through to 2027. The project will involve approximately 100 Alstom employees, with extensive support from the company’s UK-based suppliers. “For more than 20 years, CrossCountry’s Voyagers have proudly served towns and cities across Great Britain – travelling millions of miles in the process.
We now look forward to giving these iconic Alstom-built trains some well-deserved TLC with a comprehensive overhaul that will include new seats, on-board technology enhancements and an exterior repaint,” said Peter Broadley, Managing Director , Services UK and Ireland at Alstom. He added : “Not only will the refurbishment delight fare-paying customers with increased levels of comfort and accessibility, the overhaul programme will support UK suppliers and skilled jobs across the country.” Beacon Rail owns the Voyager trains and is financing this upgrade, which sees these trains serving the extensive CrossCountry network stretching from Aberdeen in Scotland to Penzance in England.
“We’re delighted to be moving forward on the refurbishment of our Voyager fleet which will transform the passenger experience for customers on our long-distance routes,” said Adrian Hugill , Fleet and Engineering Director at CrossCountry. He added : “We look forward to working with colleagues at Alstom and Beacon Trains to give the ever-impressive Voyager fleet a new lease of life on the CrossCountry network.” In the previous year, Alstom extended its Train Services Agreement (TSA) with CrossCountry for an additional eight years, through a deal worth about £825 million (€950 million), covering maintenance and servicing of the Voyager and Super Voyager fleets until 2031 at the Central Rivers depot in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.
Moreover, in June 2024, Alstom secured a separate £370 million (€430 million) contract to manufacture 10 new nine-car Aventra trains for the Elizabeth line to accommodate increasing passenger volumes. These additional Aventra electric multiple unit (EMU) Class 345 passenger trains will also be constructed at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works, the sole facility in the UK dedicated to the complete train lifecycle from design to testing, catering to both domestic and international markets. Having been a staple in inter-city travel in England, Scotland, and Wales for over two decades, the Voyager and Super Voyager trains, also produced by Alstom, have reached speeds of up to 200 km/hour and accumulated over 427 million miles in service.
.
