Transpennine Express
TRANSPRESS
Rail vehicles have been manufactured and supplied by numerous OEM’s to support the TransPennine Express rail project.
In July 2018, TPE completed a £32 million overhaul of its existing Class 185 fleet, working with manufacturing company Siemens. The work involved renewing, repairing, repainting and recovering, as appropriate, all panelling, floor coverings and seats. Transforming the vehicles with all new seating and floor coverings, plug and USB ports, bigger tables, LED lighting, air conditioning, as well as fast, free WIFI. They were reliable trains, and the mechanical equipment and bodywork were in good condition, but, after ten years of intensive operation, the interiors and amenities were in need of a refresh.
David Gordon of David Gordon Design Ltd in Derby, UK, worked on the interior design of the TransPennine Express new and refurbishment trains. He specified Coral Brush FR in the vestibule areas to reduce the amount of dirt and moisture brought onboard by foot and wheel traffic, as well as to help protect the saloon interior floor coverings. Helping to save on cleaning and maintenance time and costs.
TPE set out to deliver a further £500 million investment in three brand new fleets of Nova Trains over the following two years, working with the train manufacturers, CAF in Spain and Siemens in Germany. These new trains will be delivered in phases starting from Spring 2019 with the introduction of Nova 3, followed by Nova 2 and Nova 1 by 2020. This will involve a total of around 220 new carriages which will equate to 13 million extra seats for customers once all are in service.
TPE wanted to give their trains a name that reflects the positive changes and explosion of energy that will truly transform rail travel for customers. The Nova theme complements TPE’s star logo, which points in the direction of the true North. Using the name ‘Nova’ links all three trains together, providing consistency and simplicity.
