Alstom has signed a £50m ($67.5m) contract with FirstGroup and Eversholt Rail to refresh and maintain five six-car Class 222 trains, ahead of the launch of open access passenger services between Stirling and London under FirstGroup’s Lumo brand.
Eversholt Rail signed contract with First Group to lease these trains for the London to Stirling services.
Alstom’s contract with FirstGroup and Eversholt Rail includes two main components. A train services agreement (TSA) with FirstGroup, valued at approximately £40m ($54.07m), will be delivered at Alstom’s Central Rivers facility in Burton upon Trent.
Over the next five years, Alstom will handle maintenance, overhaul, servicing, and cleaning of the five trains at this purpose-built depot.
The depot features a double-head lathe, nine maintenance roads, two lifting roads, HVAC repair capabilities, an engine repair bay, an automated vehicle inspection system, fuelling and controlled emission toilet facilities, and an automatic intelligent train wash.
The site can stable up to 37 trains and service up to 26 overnight.
The second component, a £10m ($13.5m) fleet modernisation programme with Eversholt Rail, will take place at Alstom’s Transport Technology Centre in Widnes, Cheshire. This facility, opened in 2017, is claimed to be the UK’s largest centre for train modernisation.
The refresh work includes new ergonomically designed seating, upgraded passenger Wi-Fi, a full exterior repaint to match Lumo’s branding, and new CCTV systems.
It will also include the deployment of Intelligent Engine Start-Stop (IESS) technology, which helps to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by automatically shutting down and restarting the train’s engine when stationary.
The contract will support 50 roles across the Central Rivers and Widnes sites, as well as additional jobs through Alstom’s UK supply chain.
FirstGroup CEO Graham Sutherland said: “We are pleased to work with Eversholt Rail and Alstom on the rolling stock element of our new service between London and Stirling.
“This new route is another important step towards rolling out Lumo as a nationwide operator and growing our open access capacity, a key priority for FirstGroup.”
The five Class 222 trains, part of Alstom’s Voyager family and previously operated by East Midlands Railway as Meridian trains, are set to re-enter service with Lumo in 2026.
The trains will serve routes between central and southern Scotland and London Euston, stopping at stations including Stirling, Larbert, Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld), Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Motherwell, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes, and London Euston.
Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert stations will get their first direct services to London.
Alstom UK and Ireland commercial director Peter Broadley said: “By combining Alstom’s deep technical expertise with the operational excellence of FirstGroup and Eversholt Rail, we’re ensuring that fare-paying passengers benefit from a modern, reliable and comfortable travel experience between Stirling and London.”
Recently, Alstom signed a contract with ViaMobilidade, the operator of Sao Paulo's Lines 8-Diamond and 9-Emerald, and the Government of Sao Paulo in Brazil to upgrade the signalling systems for both lines.
