CrossCountry has unveiled the first train from its extensive fleet refurbishment programme, designed to significantly enhance passenger experience across inter-regional routes.
The refurbishment, funded by Porterbrook and executed at Arriva TrainCare’s Crewe depot, involves 29 Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ units—totalling 80 carriages. Enhancements include:
- New tables, seats, and carpets
- Mains and USB charging sockets at every seat
- Comprehensive interior and exterior repaint
- Refreshed toilets
- Upgraded passenger information screens
- Additional Standard Class seating (achieved by removing First Class)
- New CCTV and automatic passenger counting systems
CrossCountry operates these upgraded trains primarily on routes from Cardiff to Nottingham via Birmingham and from Birmingham to Stansted Airport via Leicester, providing significant improvements in comfort and convenience for travellers.
Shiona Rolfe, Managing Director at CrossCountry, said: “We’re delighted to introduce our first refurbished Turbostar, offering passengers greatly improved journeys and increased capacity on our busiest routes.”
Russell Fletcher from Arriva TrainCare added: “Our team at Crewe is proud to support CrossCountry with this major refurbishment, significantly enhancing the passenger experience and encouraging greater use of rail travel.”
The refurbishment programme is scheduled for completion by 2028, with upgrades to CrossCountry’s Voyager fleet set to commence later this year.
