A three-year refurbishment of Great Western Railway’s regional and suburban train fleet has been completed.
The £10 million internal refresh programme, carried out by Gemini Rail Services in Wolverton, has seen the rejuvenation of GWR’s Class 165/166 Turbo fleet.
57 units, leased from Angel Trains, have had a comprehensive makeover, including new flooring, repainting of all surfaces, and replacement and repairs to seating.
GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green said: "This is all part of our commitment to improving the journey experience for our customers.
"We’re delighted with the results and hope our passengers enjoy the refreshed feel of our carriages.
"This has been a really good demonstration of the railway industry working collaboratively and I’d like to thank Angel Trains and Gemini Rail Services for their diligence over the past three years.
"This work demonstrates our commitment to investment and development in services, infrastructure, and the future.
"We’re dedicated to modernising and expanding the network and ensuring efficient and reliable services."
Gemini Rail Services chief operating officer Sean Forster said: "We are very pleased to have successfully delivered this project through an effective partnership with GWR and Angel Trains.
"All the team at Gemini look forward to working with GWR again, delivering future projects that continue to improve rail passengers’ experience."
Angel Trains’ chief operating officer David Jordan said: "Thanks to Great Western Railway and Gemini for the successful refurbishment of our Class 165 and 166 trains.
"These improvements will make the journey more enjoyable for passengers, which we hope will lead to more people choosing to travel by train in the South West."
The units that have been refreshed include 20 two-car Class 165 trains, serving routes from Gloucester to Frome and on to Weymouth or Portsmouth, Bristol local services (including Weston-super-Mare), Oxford local services, and Thames Valley branch lines.
Also refurbished are 16 three-car Class 165 trains and 21 three-car Class 166 trains, serving routes from Cardiff to Portsmouth (including Westbury), Exeter local services, and the North Downs line from Reading to Gatwick.
The refresh programme began in September 2021, with each unit being stopped for between four and five weeks.
The work involved a full interior refresh, including the comprehensive strip out of the vehicles and replacement of all floor coverings.
Eight Class 166 units in the previous blue livery had their exteriors painted in GWR green, bringing them in line with all other units.
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