Rolling stock

Grand Central completes £9m refurbishment of rolling stock

Grand Central has completed a two-year £9m refurbishment of its train fleet, serving the operator’s route linking Sunderland and Hartlepool to London.

Thousands of customers utilising the firm’s trains will benefit from smart new interiors, including new seats with fabric and leather edging in standard class and a new floor covering throughout.

Toilet facilities on board have also had a full refit, as well as improvements being made for disabled access and baby changing facilities.

The refurbishment programme is the largest of its kind Grand Central have undertaken in its 12-year history, and forms part of the company’s ongoing multi-million-pound investment into facilities on board their trains, online and at stations along their route.

Fleet director, Dave Hatfield, said: “We are thrilled our major Adelante fleet refurbishment programme is now complete. It has transformed our trains and brought them right up to date, with a modern and stylish fleet that is fully fit for the future.

“At Grand Central, we are committed to offering the best possible customer experience and listening to the improvements our customers would like to see. Thanks to our refurbishment, passengers can enjoy a comfortable, relaxing experience while travelling with us.

“As with any project of this scale and complexity, our team, partners and suppliers have worked tirelessly to deliver an end result which puts the comfort and convenience of our customers at the forefront. The feedback from passengers has been very positive to date, which we are delighted about.”

The announcement comes after the company was granted access rights by the Office of Rail and Road to operate an additional daily return service between Sunderland and Kings Cross until at least 2021.