Bombardier wins fleet maintenance contract with Virgin Trains

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Virgin Trains to continue maintaining its Super Voyager fleet that operates on the UK’s West Coast main line. The deal extends the existing agreement between Bombardier and Virgin to March 2016. The contract is valued at approximately GBP 106 million GBP (131 million euro, $170 million US).

Bombardier will maintain the trains at its Central Rivers depot in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, which employs 360 people, and at other outstations across the network, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Tony Collins, Chief Executive of Virgin Trains said: “Virgin Trains are delighted to extend our service agreement with Bombardier Transportation, building on the strong relationship we have developed over the last 13 years. The Voyagers are a key part of the West Coast Fleet and we look forward to working with Bombardier to continue to deliver a reliable and punctual service to all of our customers.”

Bombardier Transportation helps its customers minimize operational costs and maximize revenue generation over their assets’ whole lifetime, while ensuring the highest levels of passenger safety, dependability and comfort. It offers services and support to fit each customer’s exact requirements, including complete maintenance services, full train maintenance, materials and logistics programs, modernisation, re-engineering and overhaul of vehicles and components.

“Winning this contract allows us to continue our strong relationship with Virgin, which has been in place since 1998. It demonstrates Virgin’s trust in Bombardier to continue delivering an excellent and cost-effective service,” said Paul Roberts, Chief Country Representative of Bombardier Transportation, UK.

Bombardier is the market leader in manufacturing and services in the UK, with a sustained track record of offering reliable services. The company proved its expertise during the 2012 Summer Olympics, when maintenance teams and support functions worked around the clock to ensure that more than 800 Bombardier trains on nine key routes serving London achieved 99.9 per cent availability to meet the increased demand. BOMBARDIER ORBITA real-time data gathering and diagnostic technology actively monitored the fleets to identify any maintenance issues before they affected passenger services, while the train depots provided round-the-clock updates on fleet availability and highlighted where support was required.