LNWR News

9/03/10 - LNWR completes prestige refurbishment for Arriva Trains Wales

LNWR, the Crewe based train maintenance specialist, has delivered a very special refurbished MkIII coach for use on Arriva Trains Wales’ Cardiff to Holyhead service. The vehicle (10259) now provides a First Class saloon together with kitchen and buffet facilities on the train. Taken out of front line service with Virgin Trains some four years ago, the vehicle had not turned a wheel making it a challenge to carry out the refurbishment and repair to the very high standards demanded. The project took LNWR just over three months to complete including stripping back to a bare shell, and carrying out the necessary repairs before refinishing the vehicle in Arriva Trains Wales’ striking livery. The passenger saloon was completely overhauled and refinished, and equipped to provide at-seat power and table lamps. The final result is a complete transformation of the vehicle inside and out and a new lease of life for 10259 which will now offer many years of service for Arriva’s passengers before requiring further heavy maintenance. This project is the latest confirmation of LNWR’s arrival as a major supplier of rail vehicle overhaul, refurbishment and repair services. LNWR managing director Mark Knowles is optimistic about forward prospects in the market. He said: “Refurbishing and overhauling 10259 demonstrates that LNWR can undertake complex projects and, despite the many complications faced, deliver on budget in a very compressed timescale. “We now have a vibrant and growing heavy maintenance and refurbishment business to go alongside our established train servicing activity. We are now the complete package.” Arriva Trains Wales operates rail services in Wales and the border counties. It operates the Monday to Friday Holyhead – Cardiff – Holyhead service under a contract with the Welsh Assembly Government in order to provide a convenient, limited stop, fast service linking North and South Wales

5/11/09 - Wedding Bells at LNWR

Two of LNWR’s senior managers were married recently in the space of a few weeks! First off the mark was Russell Fletcher who married Kathryn at St Andrews, Prestwold on 19th September, followed closely by Gary Sutcliffe who married Caroline at Derby Registry Office on 24th October. Normally Russell looks after the Materials Management at LNWR and Gary is in charge of all things Technical, Quality and Safety related. Both are members of the senior management team and have been with the company for many years having overseen its transition into a front line train maintenance business. LNWR offers its congratulations to both couples and its best wishes for a long and happy future together. 05 11 09

30/03/09 - New £3M Train Servicing Facility Completed

LNWR today announced the completion of its £3M train servicing facility which is now amongst the most modern in the UK. It also has one of the highest capacities of any equivalent UK depot. The facility has been installed over the last 18 months as LNWR built up capacity to meet the demands of the new timetable on the West Coast Mainline introduced last December. The final element was the installation of the carriage wash plant commissioned over the last few weeks. The servicing facility can accommodate up to twenty 23 metre vehicles simultaneously and includes fuelling, CET (Controlled Emission Toilet) and water tanking. LNWR Crewe is now one of the busiest passenger train servicing locations and the largest independent provider of train servicing in the UK. The number of passenger trains delivered into service each morning frequently exceeds 24. Fleets supported at Crewe include Voyagers, Desiros, Sprinters and loco hauled stock. The completion of the works was marked by a visit from David Martin, Chief Exec, Arriva plc and Bob Holland, MD Arriva UK Trains, who inspected the new facility and took a ride on a Voyager through the new Carriage Wash. The development comes only months after Arriva completed the purchase of LNWR. LNWR Managing Director, Mark Knowles, was delighted that a significant milestone in the development of the Company had been reached. “Crewe is a key location for railway services in the western half of the UK. Our customers have told us that they see Crewe as a long term base and that has given us the confidence to invest to meet their needs. We have never had a higher level of maintenance activities at Crewe, each period sees a record for services delivered to our customers. This new capability means we are the best equipped train maintenance facility in the region.”

18/11/08 - ARRIVA ACQUIRES TRAIN MAINTENANCE COMPANY LNWR

Leading European transport operator Arriva has acquired train maintenance company LNWR for £2.4 million, part of which represents repayment of a shareholder loan, and the assumption of approximately £2 million of debt. The business, which operates a modern train maintenance depot in Crewe, was founded in 1996 by music producer, entrepreneur and rail enthusiast Pete Waterman. It is set to play a key role in maintaining the trains which will provide increased services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) from this December. The depot, which has grown from a former Victorian carriage shed, has seen £3 million of investment over the past 12 months turning it into a leading servicing facility for modern electric and diesel trains. It now services one of the most diverse fleets of trains in the UK and is one of the largest train depots and stabling facilities on the WCML. LNWR’s managing director Mark Knowles will continue to lead the team of approximately 110 employees and the business will continue to trade as LNWR. Bob Holland, managing director of Arriva’s UK Trains division, said: “LNWR has grown into a specialist facility capable of competing with some of the largest international groups. It has an impressive workforce and facility which provides high quality maintenance services every day to the UK rail industry. “Going forward, we plan to build on LNWR’s work for Bombardier, Siemens, Freightliner and Arriva Trains Wales. The assurance that being part of the Arriva group brings will help attract work from the rolling stock leasing companies and other large customers. We look forward to welcoming the LNWR team into the Arriva group and working with them to continue to deliver excellent train maintenance services.” Mark Knowles, managing director of LNWR, said: “We have assembled a great team at Crewe, we have invested in creating a versatile and skilled group of train maintenance professionals and trained apprentices at a time when very few rail businesses were prepared to make that commitment. “Arriva is the final ingredient and I’m sure that the business can now look forward to continued growth and success.”

26/01/08 - LNWR Awarded Freightliner AC Locomotive Maintenance

21st January 2008 LNWR today signed a three year agreement for maintenance of Freightliner’s AC Electric fleet comprising 16 Class 86 and 11 Class 90 locomotives. This agreement represents a major vote of confidence in LNWR who have worked with Freightliner over an extended period of time developing a strategy for support of this fleet which is a vital part of Freightliner’s service. The locomotives predominantly operate intermodal services hauling container trains from ports in the south and south-east of the UK to terminals around the country. The age of these locomotives, particularly the Class 86 fleet, demands a structured approach to maintenance in order to maintain and improve reliability. LNWR has developed a team based solution involving Freightliner and the supply base in a joint approach to actively manage obsolescence and unreliability issues. LNWR and Freightliner have invested in the establishment of a dedicated maintenance facility at LNWR’s Crewe depot which also serves a wide range of other passenger and freight operators. Commenting on the contract award, LNWR MD Mark Knowles was delighted to add another prestige contract to the growing Crewe order book. “This contract is very important for all at LNWR. Not only does this cement our growing relationship with Freightliner, it also develops a new capability at LNWR for maintenance of AC traction. LNWR is determined to provide the highest quality service to Freightliner on this fleet, it is our intention to improve fleet performance on an ongoing basis and to make these locomotives class leaders in the UK.” Freightliner Engineering Director Tim Shakerley is also keen to make the partnership with LNWR work for the benefit of both businesses. “This approach which we have adopted with LNWR is designed to take the conflict out of the management of maintenance agreements and both companies are equally focussed and incentivised to improve fleet performance. We believe strongly that the efforts of both organisations will be directed to the single purpose of providing an excellent service to our customers.” Freightliner is already the market leader for freight by rail in the Intermodal division, accounting for 83% of containers moved by rail, and in doing so, they have a 99.9% service reliability record. These achievements have resulted in Freightliner being awarded the prestigious IFW Rail Freight Award consecutively for the last three years.