The
Alstom


works
at
Derby
has
won
a
second
order,
following
the
£370
million
contract
to
build
10
trains
for
the
Elizabeth
Line.

Litchurch
Lane
works
had
run
out
of
orders
earlier
this
year,
and
was
at
risk
of
closure.

The
new
contract
from
ROSCo
Beacon
Rail,
worth
£60
million,
is
to
refurbish
the
Voyager
units
which
were
built
by
Bombardier
in
Belgium
for
Virgin
more
than
20
years
ago.

The
work
will
involve
312
cars,
which
will
be
fitted
with
new
seats,
tables,
carpets,
improved
lighting
and
a
system
to
count
passengers.

Alstom
had
signed
an
eight-year
extension
to
its
Train
Services
Agreement
with
CrossCountry
last
year,
valued
at
about
£825
million.

Alstom
managing
director
for
the
UK
and
Ireland
Peter
Broadley
said:
‘We
now
look
forward
to
giving
these
iconic
Alstom-built
trains
some
well-deserved
TLC
with
a
comprehensive
overhaul
that
will
include
new
seats,
on-board
technology
enhancements
and
an
exterior
repaint.’

CrossCountry
fleet
and
engineering
director
Adrian
Hugill
added:
‘We’re
delighted
to
be
moving
forward
on
the
refurbishment
of
our
Voyager
fleet.
We
look
forward
to
working
with
colleagues
at
Alstom
and
Beacon.’

Meanwhile,
CrossCountry
has
been
under
fire
following
the
news
that
it
is
reducing
its
services
between
Newcastle
and
Reading,
and
between
Nottingham
and
Cardiff
from
10
August
to
9
November,
to
release
time
for
driver
training.

Several
MPs
from
the
places
affected
have
voiced
their
concerns,
while
transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh
said
she
had
approved
the
reductions
‘reluctantly’.

In
a
letter
to
CrossCountry,
she
said:
‘Over
the
past
year,
the
level
of
train
cancellations
across
your
company
has
increased
significantly
and
by
your
own
forecasts,
you
expected
to
breach
your
contractual
targets
for
cancellations
in
the
coming
months.
Put
simply,
the
only
reason
I
accepted
your
proposal
was
to
give
passengers
more
certainty
on
which
services
will
run.’

CrossCountry
has
been
placed
on
a
Remedial
Plan.
Ms
Haigh
added:
‘If
you
fail
to
deliver
the
Remedial
Plan,
I
will
not
hesitate
to
take
further
action.’

The
operator
pointed
out
that
changes
to
existing
formations
on
the
trains
which
do
run
will
provide
97
per
cent
of
the
seats
which
are
provided
in
its
full
timetable,
but
admitted
that
its
service
had
‘fallen
below
the
standards
our
passengers
should
expect
from
us.‘

It
continued:
‘All
too
frequently,
our
passengers
have
been
inconvenienced
by
on-the-day
cancellations,
which
results
in
poor
quality
and
reliability
of
service.
By
the
end
of
the
temporary
timetable,
we
will
have
more
fully-trained
drivers.’

The
government
is
planning
to
renationalise
the
former
English
franchises
over
time
as
they
expire,
or
when
they
reach
a
break
point
known
as
the
core
expiry
date.
The
CrossCountry
contract,
which
is
owned
by
Arriva,
could
have
run
until
12
October
2031,
but
the
core
expiry
date
is
17
October
2027.