A £642m deal to refurbish and maintain the new Avanti West Coast Pendolino trains will mean hundreds of jobs created in the North West and around the country.
The major boost to the manufacturing sector will mean 56 electric trains on the West Coast Mainline will be overhauled, and the seven-year deal has been signed between the route’s new operator Avanti - a partnership between First Group and Trenitalia - and Alstom, which built the fleet.
As well as covering a £127m upgrade of the Pendolinos, which is believed to be the biggest train upgrade programme ever undertaken in the 海角视频, the deal will see Alstom maintain them until 2026 alongside a new train fleet recently ordered from Hitachi.
The deal will create 100 high-skilled jobs based at Alstom’s Transport and Technology Centre in Widnes. It will also mean hundreds more existing engineering jobs at depots in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxley near Wolverhampton, and Wembley.
Here are six things we noticed when catching one of the new Avanti West Coast trains
Avanti took over the West Coast franchise from Virgin Trains late last year.
Nick Crossfield, managing director, Alstom 海角视频 and Ireland added: “Alstom are proud to have been trusted by First Trenitalia to maintain the Avanti West Coast fleet and upgrade the Pendolino trains.
Liverpool City Region Business News
“Over the last 15 years these trains have revolutionised travel for passengers, with faster and more frequent services.
Most Read
“Passengers can now look forward to a new chapter in this story with Avanti West Coast, and with this contract in place, Alstom can look forward to investing even more in high quality jobs and apprenticeships as we deliver these improvements.”
The first of the revolutionary tilting Pendolino trains entered service on the London to Glasgow route in January 2003.
Want more business news straight to your inbox?
BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts.
You can sign up to receive morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss.
Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
According to Avanti, the overhaul will focus on onboard facilities, with passengers benefitting from more comfortable seating, improvements to the shop, revamped toilets, better lighting, new interiors, and the installation of at-seat chargers and improved Wi-Fi throughout.
Performance will also be improved through new maintenance programmes, the firm said.
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, 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 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.”
Don’t miss
Alan Lowe, CFO of Angel Trains which leases the fleet to Avanti West Coast, said: “The refurbishment of the Avanti West Coast fleet will dramatically improve passenger experience and create highly-skilled jobs in local communities, so we’re delighted to be supporting First Trenitalia and Alstom as this exciting project commences.
“Angel Trains is committed to investing in the modernisation of 海角视频 Rail and this transformative project will ensure that Pendolino trains reflect the evolving needs of today’s passengers and continue to be an iconic part of our railways.”
Reacting to the announcement, David Mitchell, area director at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: "Businesses and individuals in the region will welcome this announcement, which not only brings the prospect of hundreds of new jobs, but also much-needed improvements to local rail infrastructure.
“Avanti West Coast’s investment comes at a time when efforts to rebalance the economy and bring greater prosperity to the north is a national priority.
“The investment in new trains and improvements to existing stock will mean a more reliable and comfortable service for commuters, bringing greater opportunity to the region’s businesses and their employees.”