Refurbishment
ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 Railway Interiors International
45
T he debate about whether to replace or
refurbish existing rolling stock is a complex
one. Prime among the motives for choosing
to refurbish rather than buy in new rolling stock is cost.
Every operator is continually assessing how much it has
to spend against profit. If existing rolling stock has a sufficient
remaining life left in its mechanical base, it makes sense to
refurbish the interior rather than opt for an all-new vehicle.
There is also the time it takes to build a new car versus the
quicker turnaround of refurbishment. By going for an upgraded
version of an existing car, operators can maintain current
services more easily and expand into the future as new rolling
stock is added. “There are a combination of factors in choosing
refurbishment over replacement,” says Andrew Marden, head
of engineering transformation for Northern Railway in the UK.
“Some routes we operate don’t need a vehicle that travels at
more than 75mph (121km/h). It’s a sensible decision to go with
Swiss
operator BLS
reports a 10%
reduction in
energy use with
its refurbished
Nina units
BLS completed the
modernisation of its
entire Nina fleet – 36
trains – in 2019 at a cost
of around CHF30.7m
(US$31m/€28m)