Refurbishment
Bombardier
Transportation
has created 2,000
new jobs with its
New Generation
Rollingstock upgrade
for the Queensland
Railway Interiors International ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019
government
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SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
The future of the train market
presents many challenges. Damian
Testa, senior policy manager at the
Railway Industry Association, believes
refurbished carriages are a key pillar of
a sustainable plan. “When considering
what trains we want in the future,
we must remember the best longterm
value for passengers, as well
taxpayers and investors,” says Testa.
“This is achieved by a sustainable
manufacturing industry that ensures
a combination of new and existing
trains are used on the rail network.”
Testa is acutely aware of how
refurbished rolling stock can improve
the rail industry’s environmental and
economic performance. “More than
7,200 new vehicles are currently on
order in the UK, equating to half of the
national fleet,” he says. “New trains
are great for passengers and many
of these vehicles will replace older
vehicles, which will then be scrapped.
However, some will also displace newer
trains, which still have a service life
on the network. This can harm the
rail refurbishment market, is more
expensive in the long term and is
worse for the environment, due to
the embedded carbon in building new
trains. It is vital the supply chain has
the confidence to continue to invest in
new vehicles, while also maintaining
and improving existing trains.”
a refurbished carriage as we know how to operate and maintain
that existing stock. It’s a fine line, but replacing everything at
once could risk a drop in service for a period and that wouldn’t
be good for customers.”
Green concerns
Marden also points out that much of the rolling stock first
introduced in the 1980s and 1990s is still perfectly able to
meet current environmental requirements. With so much
pressure on the rail industry to decarbonise, refurbishment is
a way to recycle on a grand scale rather than pumping more
carbon into the atmosphere with a new build.
New is often seen as better without looking at the overall
environmental picture. David Clarke, technical director of the
Railway Industry Association, warns that procurement criteria
in the UK and low interest rates make it attractive to choose new
over refurbished rolling stock. Yet this could cause a downturn
in the refurbishment market going into 2020 with a consequent
impact on the refurbishment supply chain.
Clarke wants to see a more mixed approach: “We need
a balance between new and existing rolling stock to maintain
confidence in the supply chain. This will help decarbonise by
making the best of the new and current fleet.”
Standardisation
Northern Railway’s Marden points to another environment benefit
of using refurbished carriages to increase rolling stock numbers.
“Improved trains mean more people travelling by rail,” he says.
“That takes people off the roads. It also accelerates the need for
updated trains, so there’s a chicken-and-egg element. Many of
our customers have commented on how much they like our
brand-new carriages when, in fact, they are refurbished
units, so there’s no reason existing vehicles cannot
work very well. As an operator, there are technical
benefits because we can standardise parts across
refurbished trains. This applies to the interior
materials, furnishings, electronics and safety
equipment. This makes servicing and repair work
RIGHT: One of the aims of
BLS’s latest refurbishment
was to make its Nina fleet
easier to maintain
BELOW: BLS says the refit
will enable its Nina trains
to operate for at least 15
more years
BOTTOM: Accessibility
is being upgraded on
Queensland’s NGR trains