Alstom Completes UK's Largest Fleet Upgrade for Avanti West Coast Pendolino Trains

Alstom has finished a GBP 117 million upgrade of Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 Pendolino trains, marking the UK's biggest fleet refurbishment.

The project, completed at Alstom’s Widnes facility, saw 574 carriages refurbished over six years. The last upgraded train left the facility on June 24, with one train completed every two weeks. The Pendolinos, which serve routes between cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, have been restored to 'as new' condition.

The upgrade brings several benefits to passengers, including 25,000 new Standard Class seats, more than 2,000 additional Standard Class seats by converting one First Class carriage per train, a new onboard shop, improved lighting, refurbished seats, more luggage space, power points at every seat, refurbished toilets, and new carpets made from sustainable British wool. Peter Broadley, Services Managing Director UK and Ireland at Alstom said, “This milestone highlights the dedication and expertise of our team at Widnes. They have worked tirelessly in partnership with colleagues at Avanti West Coast, Angel Trains, and our wider UK supply chain to elevate the interior refurbishment of rolling stock to another level.”

The Widnes facility, which opened in 2017, is the UK's largest center for train modernization, supporting around 100 roles. UK suppliers benefited significantly from the project, with 80% of the investment staying within the country. Andy Mellors, Managing Director at Avanti West Coast, said, “The Pendolino is an iconic train, and now even better than before, offering customers a much-improved travel experience.” Malcolm Brown, CEO at Angel Trains, added, “A huge thank you to both Alstom and Avanti West Coast for making the UK's biggest ever fleet upgrade possible. I'm positive that passengers will enjoy the comfort and connectivity when they travel on one of our refurbished Pendolinos.”

Source: RAILTARGET, Alstom