Passengers using the Robin Hood Line railway service from Nottingham to Worksop will benefit from a £60 million train refurbishment being carried out by East Midlands Railway (EMR). Work on the refurbishment programme, which is expected to take 18 months, has just begun.
EMR are refurbishing all trains in its “Connect” and “Regional” fleets, including Class 360, Class 158 and Class 170 trains. Almost half of the refurbishment budget – £24 million – is being spent on Class 170 trains – the model that serves the Robin Hood Line.
The Nottingham to Worksop service calls at Hucknall, Kirkby in Ashfield and Sutton Parkway. Trains on the line will receive new seat foams and covers, an extensive refresh as well as new passenger information systems and CCTV.
An EMR spokesman said that “this investment will be transformative – offering passengers more convenience, comfort and better facilities.”
EMR are working in partnership with Angel Trains, Siemens, Porterbrook, and Eversholt and leverages significant private sector investment. All the work is being carried out in the UK, providing a significant boost to the supply chain.
“Together with the introduction of the new Aurora Intercity trains, this will mean that all of EMR’s trains will either be replaced with new trains or refurbished”, the EMR spokesman said.
In addition to the Robin Hood Line, EMR’s Class 170 fleet also serves the Matlock to Derby and Nottingham, Newark Castle to Crewe, Peterborough to Doncaster, Nottingham to Skegness, Cleethorpes to Leicester, and Cleethorpes to Barton on Humber services.
“This multi-million-pound investment into our Connect and Regional fleets is fantastic news for our customers and the regions we serve”, Will Rogers, EMR’s managing director, said. “The refurbishment will redefine the travel experience across every corner of our network. Be it commuters, leisure travellers or airport passengers, this investment will be transformative – offering them more convenience, comfort and better facilities.
“It is also great news for the country’s rail industry, with all the work being carried out by UK companies. Combined with the up and coming introduction of our Intercity Aurora fleet – it will mean every train we operate will either be new or refurbished.””
The refurbishment programme has been welcomed by the government. Rail Minister Huw Merriman, the Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle, said: “This refurbishment programme will provide a boost to the UK rail industry and is great news for passengers, who will soon benefit from significantly more enjoyable journeys across the EMR network on new and improved trains. “This kind of investment is crucial as we continue to modernise our railways, enhancing the passenger experience for millions of people and attracting more people to travel by rail.”
