A major project by Alstom to refurbish all bogies on Avanti West Coast‘s Pendolino fleet has reached a major milestone with the completion of bogie sets on all 35 of the 11-carriage Pendolinos.

The work was carried out at Alstom’s facility at Crewe in Cheshire, with 770 bogies being overhauled in just one year.

With 22 bogies to each Pendolino set and after clocking up over 750,000 miles, all 35 of the 11-carriage Pendolinos have had their sets examined and reconditioned to give them a new lease of life.

Each week the bogies and traction motors were transported by road to Crewe, where they were disassembled and their component parts refurbished to as-new condition.

The bogie frames are separated from the wheelsets, excess dirt and oil is washed off, and component parts are stripped down and reconditioned before being painted and reassembled. 

Refurbishing bogies is part of a wider programme of work on the Pendolinos known as a heavy overhaul, component parts including, pantographs, train control and information systems, batteries, and valves are reconditioned or replaced.

A programme to refurbish all of the Pendolino fleet’s carriages has also recently been completed at Alstom’s facility at Widnes.

A team of 35 highly skilled workers are employed on the project at Crewe, many with a family connection such as couple Glenn Pearson and Karen Shaw on the Pendolino bogie production line. Glenn tests the bogies whilst Karen and her son’s partner, Danni Knott, carries out pre-delivery inspections.

“Working on the railway was a massive step change. You don’t realise the scale of the Pendolinos and their components until you work on them. Glenn, Karen, and I love our jobs and being at the end of the production line allows you to appreciate everything that has been done. “

Danni Knott

Elsewhere, partners Adam and Casey with a combined service of 17 years work on a bogie production line for another fleet of trains. Adam is responsible for inspecting the assembled bogies and Casey, who started as an Apprentice with Alstom in 2017, is a Team Leader on the bogie final assembly section.

“Our Pendolinos travel hundreds of thousands of miles every year, so it’s critical their heavy maintenance is completed throughout the year to ensure they’re safe and reliable for our customers.

“We’re proud to be working with Alstom to overhaul the Pendolinos – especially with much of the work being done local to the West Coast Main Line. Crewe has a rich railway heritage and is a key hub on our route, so it’s great the skills that have been passed down over the 180 years of Crewe Works are being utilised to carry out this latest investment in our fleet.”

Stacy Thundercliffe, Avanti West Coast Head of Fleet and Engineering

“We are thrilled to reach this important milestone in the overhaul of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino fleet’s bogies. This project showcases the outstanding expertise and dedication of our team in Crewe.

“By ensuring these trains continue to perform at their best, we are not only preserving the legacy of Crewe as a centre of railway excellence but also contributing to a more reliable and efficient rail service for passengers across the UK. We look forward to continuing this vital work in partnership with Avanti West Coast.”

Peter Broadley, Managing Director, Services UK and Ireland at Alstom