East Midlands Railway announces multimillion-pound investment for seat refurbishment

A £3m project is underway to upgrade over 5,500 seats on East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains.

The refurbishment project covers 5,272 standard-class seats and 243 tip-up seats.

These seats will be changed to a neutral grey color and will be refurbished during routine maintenance.

EMR customers will start experiencing the upgraded seats this month as the first units with refurbished seats operate on the Midland Main Line.

Ian Hyde, fleet director for East Midlands Railway, said: “This is great news for our Intercity customers while we await the exciting introduction of the Aurora fleet. The refurbishments will significantly improve the experience and environment for our customers – all without the need to take any trains out of service.

“This much-needed refresh of the train interiors represents a significant investment for the fleet and future-proofs them, enabling them to continue serving UK customers wherever they go after they leave us. It’s also gratifying that we are able to recycle the old seat materials into something beneficial, rather than just sending them to landfill.”