Fleet of trains on track for refurbishment

Wabtec, based at Hexthorpe, has been carrying out the work to overhaul the engines, re-fit the carriages, and repaint the exteriors of part of First Great Western’s fleet of trains - and has completed the first of the trains in the order.

The overhaul is part of an 11 million investment in the train operator's local services.

Wabtec in Doncaster has been commissioned to undertake the work on the 21 Class 158 trains, the flagship of the West Country Regional Fleet, which operates on key inter-urban routes in the region, as well as the 11 single car Class 153 trains, which run mainly on rural branch lines.

Safety on board the train has been developed with 1 million being spent on installing CCTV to improve passenger and staff security, with laminated glass also being introduced as an additional safety measure.

Andrew Haines, First Great Western’s chief operating officer, said: “Apart from the cosmetic effect of new livery and the improved comfort of new interiors, the technical improvements will significantly raise the reliability of the fleet and bring it up to the standard our customers deserve.”