Improved passenger experience promised as £9m trains refurbishment is completed
Thousands of customers across Grand Central’s North East and West Riding routes will benefit from increased comfort as the final refurbished train rolls onto the tracks.
The £9m, two-year refurbishment programme has seen Grand Central’s fleet of 10 Adelante trains kitted out with smart new interiors. And there has been a full refit of the toilet facilities together with improved disabled access and baby changing facilities.
Revamped catering facilities include barista coffee machines, while energy efficient LED lighting has been installed, along with power sockets for charging mobile phones, laptops and other electrical devices. The trains have been given a full repaint inside and out to give them a brighter, fresher look and feel.
The refurbishment programme is the largest of its kind that Grand Central has undertaken in its 12-year history and it is part of the company’s ongoing multi-million pound investment programme to enhance customer experience on board, online and at stations.
Dave Hatfield, fleet director at Grand Central, said: “We are thrilled that our major Adelante fleet refurbishment programme is now complete. It has transformed our trains and brought them right up to date, with a modern and stylish fleet that is fully fit for the future.
“At Grand Central, we are committed to offering the best possible customer experience and listening to the improvements our customers would like to see. Thanks to our refurbishment, passengers can enjoy a comfortable, relaxing experience while travelling with us.
“As with any project of this scale and complexity, our team, partners and suppliers have worked tirelessly to deliver an end result which puts the comfort and convenience of our customers at the forefront. The feedback from passengers has been very positive to date, which we are delighted about.”
Grand Central Railway Company Limited, which is part of the Arriva Group, provides direct rail connections from towns and cities in Yorkshire and the North East England with London.
It operates West Riding services between Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, Pontefract Monkhill, Doncaster and London King’s Cross.
The company is set to launch a new route between Blackpool and London Euston in 2020. And it has recently been granted access rights by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to run an additional daily return service between Sunderland and London Kings Cross until at least 2021.
