Avanti West Coast has begun the refurbishment of its Pendolino fleet, as the first Pendolino train is taken out of service for work to begin on the £117m project.

The project, which Avanti West Coast says is the biggest ever train fleet upgrade in the UK, will see all 56 Class 390 Pendolino trains refurbished. The trains have clocked up 270 million miles since being launched, enough for 500 return trips to the Moon.

The Pendolinos serve London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh and the upgrade will return the fleet to “as new” condition.

Upgrades will include replacing 25,000 standard class seats, converting one first-class carriage on each of the 35 eleven carriage Pendolinos to provide 2,000+ more standard class seats.

A new cafe bar will be introduced for passengers to enjoy refreshments.

New carpets and lighting will be installed along with more luggage space, power points, better Customer Information Screens (CIS) and refurbished toilets.

Alstom will oversee the work at their Widnes Depot, securing 100 jobs.

390125 is the first train into the depot and will re-enter service later in 2021. The upgrade programme will run until 2024

The Pendolino fleet upgrade is just one of the upgrades coming to the West Coast Main Line, and will be followed by new Hitachi trains to replace the Voyager fleet.

Credit: Avanti West Coast

“The Pendolino is a real workhorse which has helped to transform services on the West Coast Main Line,” explained Phil Whittingham, Managing Director for Avanti West Coast. “This investment will take them to the next level and they’ll feel like new trains with state of the art technology and brand new seats. I can’t wait to see the reaction from our customers and people.”

“We were delighted when our friends at Avanti West Coast entrusted our team at Widnes with the upgrade of the Alstom-built Pendolino, one of Britain’s most reliable, popular and sustainable trains” said Peter Broadley, Managing Director, Services, Alstom UK & Ireland. “Alstom is the nation’s leading train services provider and train refurbishment is a major part of our offering, so we can’t wait to get cracking on this landmark project.”’

“Investing in the refurbishment of rolling stock is crucial for advancing the UK rail industry and supporting the wider supply chain,” said David Jordan, Chief Operating Officer of Angel Trains. “This project is a huge milestone, and we are proud to work with our customers Avanti West Coast to upgrade the Pendolino fleet, to create modern train interiors that are fit for future passengers’ needs.”