East Midlands Trains launches first re-branded Class 156 train
East Midlands Trains has today unveiled the first of its re-branded Class 156 trains. The company, who will be re-branding all 11 of its Class 156 trains into the new East Midlands Trains livery, has teamed up with Derby-based company Bombardier Transportation for the re-painting of its entire Class 156 fleet.
Commenting Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains said:
“Our priority for the start of the franchise was to ensure a smooth transition and to get punctuality and reliability off to a good start. Now we’re confident these things have been achieved, it’s time to start focusing on the refurbishment of our trains, both inside and out.
“We’re starting with the re-painting of our 11 Class 156 trains, which will be completed by early May. We’ll then move straight on to our Class 222 Meridian fleet, which will also be carried out by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby works”.
Mark Williamson, Vice President, Mainline & Metros UK from Bombardier Transportation said:
“I am pleased that Bombardier is working in partnership with East Midlands Trains and helping to ensure that they have a smart, comfortable and reliable fleet of trains. Later this year, we'll be moving on to re-brand the Meridian fleet, which we also built and which are very popular with the travelling public."
In addition to the improvements listed above, the first of East Midlands Trains HST fleet is currently being re-painted at the company’s Neville Hill Depot in Leeds, and the contract is being finalised for the full refurbishment of the Class 158 fleet, which is due to start in the Summer.
The selection of attached images includes a photo of Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, and Mark Williamson, Vice President, Mainline & Metros UK from Bombardier Transportation, with the first re-branded Class 156 (Unit 156 415).
