Grand Central begins £9m Adelante train refurbishment

Grand Central today (29 March) gave customers a preview of its new look as the first of ten refurbished trains took to the tracks en route to London.

The £9million refurbishment programme will continue throughout 2018, including the five trains that were recently transferred from Great Western Railway, as the company enters its second decade in business.

The interior and exterior overhaul has been designed with business and leisure passengers’ comfort in mind. The upgrade includes: a full interior refresh, new seats with leather edging in standard class, new floor covering throughout, exterior and interior repaint, upgraded catering facilities, refitted toilet facilities with disabled access and baby changing facilities.

The upgrade will also include energy efficient LED lighting, and power sockets for charging mobile phones, laptops and other electrical devices.

Grand Central was recently voted number one train operator for overall journey satisfaction, as well as being voted best value long distance train operator for the sixth year running in the National Rail Passenger Survey (Transport Focus, Autumn 2017).

In January, Grand Central was also named the highest rated train operator among British leisure and commuter travellers by consumer champion Which?. 

The refurbishment is part of Grand Central’s ongoing investment programme; enhancing the customer experience on-board, online, and at stations.

Dave Hatfield, Grand Central’s Fleet Director, said: “We’re delighted to bring this refurbished Adelante train back into service and let our customers see what we have been working on behind the scenes. The refurbishment programme is well underway and will continue throughout 2018. Our five newly acquired trains will also be rebranded in Grand Central livery as part of the improvement programme.”

Richard McClean, Managing Director at Grand Central, said: “I’m sure passengers using this train will enjoy travelling Grand Central in greater comfort, in smart surroundings and with enhanced on-board facilities.

“We pride ourselves on listening to our passengers and taking on board their feedback. They’ve told us what is most important to them, and that’s why we’re investing £9million to improve the comfort and reliability of our entire fleet and services.

“We will continue to invest in our services and explore opportunities for future growth for the benefit of our current and future customers.”

To find out more about Grand Central, please visit www.grandcentralrail.com or follow them on Twitter @GC_Rail, Facebook, or LinkedIn

Notes to editors:

Grand Central Railway Company Limited is an established train operator which provides direct rail connections from towns and cities in Yorkshire and the North East England with London.

Established in 2007, Grand Central’s customer satisfaction levels are consistently high. In the National Rail Passenger Survey (Autumn 2017), the rail company was named Britain’s best value rail operator for the 6th year in a row, as well as top operator for overall passenger satisfaction (96%).

Grand Central operates West Riding services between Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, Pontefract Monkhill, Doncaster and London King’s Cross. The rail operator also operates North East services between Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, York and London King’s Cross.

Grand Central is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe. Arriva employs more than 60,000 people and delivers over 2 billion passenger journeys across 14 European countries each year.

For further information, please contact: 
Sarah Banks
PR Account Director
0191 261 4250
GrandCentral@gardiner-richardson.com
sarahb@gardiner-richardson.com