CrossCountry’s fleets are set for their biggest upgrade since they were introduced, as the operator has confirmed plans to fully refurbish them by 2027 in a programme starting this year.
While the projects for the Class 170 Turbostars and Class 220/221 Voyagers are separate, CrossCountry’s Fleet and Engineering Director Adrian Hugill says the aim is to create a common feel between the two types. For example, all trains will gain new seats and tables and will have power sockets at all seats (three-pin plug sockets and both USB A and USB C); the sockets will be located on seatbacks in airline seats or on top of tables at bays, making them more easily accessible than existing ones.
CrossCountry has worked with marketing agency McCann Birmingham and Derby-based DG8 Design and Engineering to develop the new look for the fleets. The external livery and internal colour schemes will feature subtle differences between the fleets, reflecting the inter-city and regional products.
‘Our marketing team carried out research about people’s preferences for the interiors’ says Mr Hugill. ‘This showed people want a brighter look for shorter journeys on the regional “170” routes and subtler, darker shades for inter-city journeys on the Voyagers, and the colour palette we’ve chosen will reflect that.’ From an external perspective, the current CrossCountry brand will be retained, as it is well established, but there will be subtle tweaks to the corporate colours used.
- The full story is in the May edition of Modern Railways, out now.
