Alstom toasts key landmark anniversary for Inter-City fleets

Train manufacturer and maintenance provider Alstom has celebrated a key landmark for a train fleet, which has been helping keep UK cities connected for two decades.

The firm, which has its UK operations based in Derby, recently joined up with rolling stock owner Beacon Rail, along with train operators Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry, at Alstom’s Central Rivers depot, near Burton, to mark 20 years of the Voyager and Super Voyage Inter-City fleets.

The Class 220 and Class 221s were manufactured by Bombardier, acquired by Alstom in January this year, and entered service from 2001.

Operating at speeds of up to 200 km/hour, they have clocked up over 380 million miles of service, equivalent to 843 times to the moon and back.

Peter Broadley, managing director of services for Alstom UK & Ireland, said: “Twenty years of reliable, 200 km/hour operation across Britain is a very significant milestone.

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“We were delighted to celebrate Voyager 20 with our friends from Beacon Rail, CrossCountry and Avanti West Coast and look forward to future innovations to achieve even greater sustainability.”

Delivering reliable, comfortable services for Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry, Alstom’s Voyager fleet can be found across the length and breadth of Britain’s Inter-City rail network, from Aberdeen to Penzance, London to Llandudno.

According to Alstom, with innovations ahead designed to achieve greater sustainability, such as hybrid diesel/battery operation and intelligent engine stop/start, they are set for many more years of service on Britain’s railways.

Rob Dee, from Beacon Rail, said “The Voyager fleet is an integral part of Beacon’s portfolio, consisting of close to 2,000 items of rolling stock operating in 17 countries across Europe.

“Since taking ownership of the Voyagers in 2017, Beacon has worked closely with our customers Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry, as well as Alstom, to ensure the trains offer a high level of safety, reliability, availability and comfort to the travelling public.

“Beacon has also commissioned industry colleagues to develop a hybrid battery solution for the fleet. The hybrid will significantly reduce emissions in built-up areas while maintaining Voyager’s high-speed, go-anywhere capability.”

In total 34 Class 220s and 24 Class 221s are in service with CrossCountry operating across multiple mainline routes all serving Birmingham; 20 Class 221’s are in service with Avanti West Coast operating tilting, high speed services along the West Coast Mainline.

All 78 units are owned by Beacon Rail, and maintained by Alstom at its Central Rivers depot, with heavy component overhaul taking place at the firm’s Crewe and Ilford facilities.

Tom Joyner, managing director at CrossCountry said: “The Voyager fleet has provided a sterling service for countless passengers over the past twenty years.

“There are some innovative projects in the pipeline, which will ensure the Voyagers continue to form a key part of our fleet and we are looking forward to working with colleagues from Alstom and Beacon Rail on these in the months ahead.”