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• Contract to maintain 51-strong Class 185 train fleet gets extension for 8 years, until 2031
• Builds on success of recent digital upgrade by Siemens Mobility which means the trains remotely monitor their own condition through Railigent X
• Siemens Mobility will work with new operator TransPennine Trains Limited and train owner Eversholt Rail to ensure continued reliability across the fleet

Siemens Mobility has been awarded a contract extension for the maintenance of the Class 185 fleet serving TransPennine Express routes operating between Manchester, Sheffield and Cleethorpes and Manchester to Hull from northwest of England depots. The majority of maintenance work will take place at Ardwick Depot, Manchester and subsidiary depots at York and Cleethorpes.

“The UK is one of our core markets and we’re proud to have been awarded this contract extension. It is a real testament for us being a trusted partner to our customers and continuing to ensure trains perform at a high standard throughout their entire lifecycle. Railigent X applications, part of the open, digital Siemens Xcelerator business platform, enable us to offer best passenger experience and highest availability,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

“We have had a long and productive relationship with Siemens Mobility and we are delighted to continue working together with the award of this eight-year contract extension. We are looking forward to Siemens Mobility, Eversholt Rail and TransPennine Express delivering further improvements to one of our key fleets through building upon our strong, collaborative partnership. Suppliers like Siemens are vital in making sure that customers remain at the heart of everything that we do and we are committed to offering the best passenger experience when people choose to travel with us,” said David Walker, Head of Fleet Commercial for TransPennine Express.

“We look forward to working with TransPennine Trains Limited and Siemens Mobility to continue to deliver a reliable Class 185 fleet for passengers”, said Paul Sutherland, Client Services Director at Eversholt Rail.

The €530 million contract extension will continue to support around 200 jobs across Siemens Mobility depots in the north of England. Siemens Mobility has been maintaining the fleet since 2006 and has delivered a programme to provide a full digital upgrade to the 51-strong fleet leading to improved reliability.

The Class 185s use Siemens Mobility’s cloud based Railigent X application suite, this means the trains are fitted with remote condition monitoring which allows the teams to get direct updates on each train and how it is performing, including any areas that need to be prioritised for maintenance. The technology provides updates on individual vehicles as well an accurate picture across the whole fleet, ensuring the 20-year-old trains can give the best passenger experience. This technology has meant the train fleet has performed consistently well, winning industry reliability awards.

Siemens Mobility will work closely with the operator, TranspennineTrains Limited, and train owner, EversholtRail, to ensure the continued reliable service of the Class 185s throughout the extended contract to 2031.

Notes to editors:

The Class 185s were manufactured by Siemens Mobility. EversholtRail Leasing own the fleet which is leased back to the operator, Transpennine Trains Limited.The maintenance contract has been awarded by Transpennine Trains Limited.The Class 185 fleet has been awarded a Golden Spanner six times in the last seven years, including at the most recent awards in November 2022.Siemens Mobility operates from around 30 UK locations including 13 train maintenance locations in the UK (Scotland to Southampton), and infrastructure depots.Siemens Mobility employs more than 5,000 people in the UK. Operating three manufacturing sites: Chippenham (signaling& Research and Development); Ashby-de-la-Zouch (control systems, customer information systems, telecoms); Goole (trains).Siemens Mobility trains make up almost a quarter of UK passenger trains; 572 Siemens trains in service, and the company maintains a total of 587 trains.