Alstom was awarded a GBP 10.4 million (EUR 12.2 million) contract extension to maintain TransPennine Class 397 fleet known as Nova 2 trains. Under the contract extension, Alstom will continue to maintain the fleet until at least December 2025.
The contract will see Alstom continue to offer train maintenance, stabling, servicing and cleaning services for 12 Nova 2 five-car electric multiple units (EMUs).
The work for TransPennine Express will continue to be carried out at Alstom’s Traincare Centres in Manchester and Glasgow, two of five similar facilities the company operates along the West Coast Main Line.
The contract supports more than 50 roles across the two sites, including production managers, site operatives and train movement operators.
“Securing this contract extension is a testament to the quality of our Services portfolio and the strong partnership we have developed with TransPennine Express. The contract extension is also great news for our dedicated teams in Manchester and Glasgow, who provide a round-the-clock service, seven days a week, ensuring fare-paying passengers enjoy safe, comfortable and dependable journeys along the West Coast Main Line,” Peter Broadley, Services Managing Director UK and Ireland at Alstom said.
Alstom’s Manchester Traincare Centre at Longsight can accommodate almost 300 rail vehicles at one time – making it one of the biggest of its kind in the UK – and is the home depot for the Nova 2 trains. Meanwhile, Alstom’s Glasgow Traincare Centre at Polmadie typically welcomes 17 trains per day, including TransPennine Express Class 397 units.
“We are delighted to continue our strong partnership with Alstom and look forward to working with them to maintain the quality of one of our key fleets and to deliver further improvements,” Chris Jackson, Managing Director at TransPennine Express said.
The Nova 2 trains (Civity EMUs) have been built by the Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF and are owned by Eversholt Rail. The Class 397 units originally entered service in November 2019 and carry passengers on TransPennine North West services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central via Preston.
Since entering passenger service, TransPennine Express’s Class 397 fleet has travelled more than 8 million miles – an average of 688,000 miles per unit.
In 2023, Transpennine Trains Limited awarded Siemens Mobility the maintenance contract for 51 Class 185 train fleet until 2031 and in the same year, Hitachi Rail secured an 8-year maintenance contract for 19 Nova 1 trains.
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