£825m contract extension secured by global train manufacturer
Alstom has signed a £825m eight-year extension to its train services agreement with CrossCountry, after working with the rail provider for the last 13 years.
The deal will see the global transport firm continue to maintain, overhaul, service and clean 252 vehicles of the CrossCountry fleet (34 Class 220 Voyagers and 24 Class 221 Super Voyagers) at its primary depot – Central Rivers in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.
In addition, seven Voyagers will move to CrossCountry when they are released from service with Avanti West Coast to bolster the CrossCountry fleet and enable service uplifts.
The fleet will also be installed with an Intelligent Engine Stop Start (IESS) system, which aims to drive a reduction in fuel usage, emissions, and operational costs.
Tom Joyner, Managing Director, CrossCountry commented: “We’re delighted to continue our relationship with Alstom as we embark on our National Rail Contract.
“Improving the onboard experience is critical to ensuring our customers view us as a long-distance operator of choice and we look forward to working closely with Alstom in the years ahead to deliver these improvements.”
Nick Crossfield, Alstom Managing Director, UK & Ireland said: “We have worked in close partnership since 2007, providing reliable, well-presented, and safe trains for all CrossCountry’s customers. We look forward to working with our colleagues at CrossCountry to help them deliver a high-quality train service for the next eight years”.
Owned by Beacon Rail, the Voyagers are running across the CrossCountry network, from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Penzance, England.
Alstom’s Voyager and Super Voyager inter-city trains have served passengers across England, Scotland and Wales for more than two decades. Operating at speeds of up to 200 km/hour, they have clocked up 414 million miles of service.
