East Midlands Railway advances £3m project to refurbish over 5,400 train seats

With the investment in EMR’s Intercity service aims to improve the overall travel experience for passengers and extend the life of the existing fleet, anticipating the transition to the new Aurora trains.

The refurbishment process includes changing the seat covers to a neutral grey colour, and it is integrated into routine maintenance without requiring trains to be taken out of service. Currently, 25 out of 27 trains have seen some of their seats refurbished.

Ian Hyde, fleet director for East Midlands Railway, said: “Our multi-million seat refurbishment project is progressing well and the new seat coverings have been received very positively by our customers. It is hoped that all the seats of the fleet will be finished by early Spring, ready to take customers up and down the Midland Main Line in comfort as they enjoy all our network has to offer.”

Collaborating with EMR on this project are two Derby-based companies, 4G Global and Yellow Rail.

4G Global, a foam manufacturer and seat assembly company, operates from Shaftesbury Street and Yellow Rail, specialising in seat installation, and is headquartered at Riverside Court.