Grand Central begins £9m ‘Adelante’ refurbishment

by

OPEN ACCESS operator Grand Central is embarking on a £9million refurbishment of its fleet of 10 Class 180 ‘Adelante’ DEMUs.

The first unit was completed at the end of March. The refurbishment programme will run for the rest of the year and include the five sets acquired from GWR.

The interior and exterior has been overhauled and includes a full interior refresh, with new seats and leather edging in Standard Class; new floor covering throughout; exterior and interior repaint; upgraded catering facilities; refitted toilet facilities with disabled access; and baby changing facilities.

Article continues below…
Advert

Enjoy more Railway reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.
The upgraded interior of Grand Central’s Class 180 Standard Class accommodation.

The upgrade will also include energy efficient LED lighting, and power sockets for charging mobile phones, laptops and other electrical devices.

Grand Central, which is owned by Arriva, says the refresh is being carried out by sister company Arriva TrainCare at Eastleigh, as part of the exterior repaint.

A revised logo that includes ‘by Arriva’ is being used.

Article continues below…
Advert

Grand Central has now entered its second decade of rail operations, having launched on December 18, 2007, and is still looking to expand operations beyond the King’s Cross to Bradford Interchange and King’s Cross to Sunderland operations.

One of these is to provide services to Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe, by running two Class 180s from and to the capital, dividing the train at Doncaster. One set would continue to Bradford, the other to Cleethorpes.

Read more News and Features in the May issue of The RM – on sale now!

Article continues below…
Advert


Advert
Subscribe to The Railway Magazine
Enjoy more of The Railway Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.

Railway Reads

From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.


Article Tags:

About the Author