UK refurbishment in brief
Over 200 sets of stainless steel sanitaryware have been supplied to Maintrain by W & G Sissons for the refurbishment of Midland Main Line’s High Speed Train fleet (RG 4.03 p195). The order includes toilets, towel and soap dispensers, bins and grab handles.
Voyager hard-wearing sheet vinyl floor coverings from Polyflor Ltd are being used in the refurbishment of Pacer DMUs for the UKWales &Borders franchise and passenger coaches for Lithuanian Railways. Available in 2m by 20m rolls in 22 colours, Voyager can be welded into an impervious continuous surface. Quartz, silicon carbide and aluminium particles in the material provide slip resistance in toilet and galley areas.
Innovative air-conditioning units are being supplied by Vapor Stone for use in the refurbishment of 75 Class 165 DMU cars for Chiltern Railways by Bombardier Transportation. Four self-contained air-cooling modules are installed in each corner of the vehicle’s luggage racks. Work began in July 2002 and will be completed by mid-2004.
On July 1 Maintrain handed over to Arriva Trains Northern the last of 13 two-car Class 144 Pacer diesel railcars following a £3·4m interior and exterior makeover (below). The refurbishment included crashworthiness improvements, and installation of Train Protection & Warning System, together with the fitting of 2+2 high-backed seating to replace the original bus-style bench seats.The Porterbrook-owned units are finished in West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive’s red and silver MetroTrain livery.
