Press release -
Vivarail class 230 trains delayed
Vivarail has today (30 October) informed London Northwestern Railway that there will be a delay in delivering the Class 230 units for the Marston Vale line. Both partners have worked tirelessly to bring the trains into service for the December timetable change as scheduled. However due to technical issues with the first train the knock-on effect means the three will not be ready in time. London Northwestern Railway has demonstrated its commitment to upgrading trains for all its passengers and Vivarail is disappointed that these issues have brought about the delay.
Vivarail remains confident that the full fleet will be ready for service in the New Year and thanks London Northwestern Railway for their patience and help in resolving the few remaining problems. Vivarail would like to assure all users of the Marston Vale line that they take full responsibility for the delay and thank London Northwestern Railway for their invaluable support during the testing and implementation process.
London Northwestern Railway says services will continue to run on the Marston Vale Line this December using existing rollingstock.
Jonny Wiseman, head of stations for London Northwestern Railway, said “We were disappointed to learn, from Vivarail, that the class 230 trains for the Marston Vale Line will not be ready for the December 2018 timetable change. We want to reassure passengers that we will continue to run the Bedford – Bletchley service with existing trains until the Vivarail units are available.
“The class 230 programme is an innovative scheme that will deliver many benefits to local rail users. We will continue to support Vivarail in bringing this new concept to the Marston Vale Line.”
Adrian Shooter, CEO of Vivarail, said, “My experience in the rail industry means I am fully aware of the problems that can occur when introducing new trains and that one unforeseen event can easily overturn months or even years of planning. That is the case here and at Vivarail we hold our hands up to that fact. However, I am confident that my team will deliver the finished trains with a minimal delay and allow London Northwestern Railway to bring them into service soon. I know that there is a great deal of anticipation to see the Class 230s in service and I am confident that the short wait will be worth it.”
ENDS
Topics
Categories
Regions
About West Midlands Trains
For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.
West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.
The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com
If you have been sent this press release, this is because we believe this to be of interest to you.
To sign up for all future releases, visit our newsroom and subscribe to our updates. You can unsubscribe to our releases at any time.
