Alstom to Assist in Introduction of Class 175 Trains for GWR

Alstom has signed a new Technical Support and Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA) with Great Western Railway (GWR) to assist in the introduction of 26 Class 175 trains across its network in the South West of England.

The eight-year agreement is valued at around 75 million GBP, and will see Alstom provide ongoing maintenance support from the operator’s Laira depot in Plymouth.

The contract supports over 15 roles including engineers, material planners and administrators, with the first batch of trains expected to enter passenger service in late 2025.

Owned by Angel Trains, the units will operate on a number of key regional routes including services between Exeter St Davids, Penzance, Barnstaple and Okehampton.

Peter Broadley, Business Development Director at Alstom, said:

We are delighted to be partnering with Great Western Railway and Angel Trains to bring the Class 175 fleet back into service.

With our extensive expertise as the original manufacturer and long-standing maintainer of these trains, we are well placed to ensure their smooth reintroduction and continued reliability.

The Class 175 diesel multiple units (DMUs) in question were initially built by Alstom between 1999 and 2001 in Birmingham, and were previously utilised by Transport for Wales until last year.

GWR signed the lease for the fleet this past March.

Dr Simon Green, Engineering Director for Great Western Railway, said:

We are really pleased to be able to reach agreement with Alstom to support this major investment in our train fleet.

The Class 175 are a welcome addition to the GWR train fleet and will provide a tangible boost as we seek to rejuvenate our regional and suburban services

The DMUs are capable of connections of four, five and six-car formations, with their leasing enabling GWR to replace some of its oldest and least efficient diesel trains, supporting the operator’s intentions to rejuvenate its regional and suburban services.

David Jordan, Chief Operating Officer at Angel Trains, said:

We’re pleased to support Great Western Railway as they work to further improve the passenger experience. In partnership with GWR and Alstom, the reintroduction of the Class 175 fleet will provide additional capacity and improved reliability that will benefit customers across the network.

The Class 175 trains will also be the first GWR fleet to utilise Alstom’s HealthHub digital condition-based and predictive maintenance solution, which analyses and displays data captured by the train every 30 seconds.

The data takes into account more than 200 separate parameters, allowing for real-time monitoring alerts to warn the team of any potential incidents before they occur.