Grand Central extends hire of ex-East Midlands Railway Class 180s

GRAND Central has confirmed to The RM that it has extended its short-term lease of Nos. 180110 and 180111 from Angel Trains until the middle of November as it continues to work on fixing problems and improving reliability of its own fleet of 10 Class 180s.

The two units, which had been used by East Midlands Railway until May, were initially draftedin for a period of eight weeks, No. 180110 being the first to enter service with GC on August 7.

The Arriva-owned open access operator said unit availability had improved to a point where there had been spare capacity on a number of days. GC chief operating officer Sean English added that although it is in a much stronger position than earlier this year, the supply of parts continues to be an issue.

Ex-Avanti West Coast Class 221 ‘Super Voyager’ Nos. 221142 and 221143 remain in use on GC services between Bradford and London King’s Cross. The length of their lease will be reviewed, taking into consideration the overall fleet recovery plan and heavy maintenance requirements, but has not yet been extended beyond the originally envisaged 12-month period. GC is planning bogie and coupler overhauls on its Class 180s and the focus will also turn to preparations for fitting them with European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment as part of the programme to introduce in-cab digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line between King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel.

The Class 221s are dedicated toWestYorkshireservices,butGC has indicated that, heading into 2024, it could look at extending training on the units to drivers who operate its services connecting Sunderland with the capital.