East Midlands Railway (EMR) has reintroduced the first of its refurbished Class 170 units into regional service. Refurbishment of the units is being carried out at Arriva TrainCare’s facility in Crewe. The project includes new seat designs and tables, reconfigured interiors, updated flooring, modern power outlets, and reworked toilet facilities. The refreshed design also incorporates a passenger information system and designated space for bicycle storage.
The Class 170s, leased from Porterbrook, are expected to receive upgraded accessibility features, with revised layouts intended to improve comfort and functionality for a range of passenger needs. Each unit is also equipped with fittings aligned with EMR's newer intercity fleet to provide visual consistency across services.
The unit that entered service this week is the first of the 44 Class 170 trains operated by EMR to undergo refurbishment. According to the operator, additional units will be introduced progressively, with one upgraded train scheduled to join the fleet each month. The current plan spans over the coming year.
The refurbished units operate across multiple EMR regional routes, including:
- Matlock – Derby – Nottingham
- Nottingham – Worksop via Mansfield
- Newark Castle – Crewe via Derby and Stoke-on-Trent
- Peterborough – Doncaster via Lincoln
- Nottingham – Skegness via Grantham
- Cleethorpes – Leicester via Lincoln and Nottingham
- Cleethorpes – Barton-on-Humber
The Class 170s are also used on cross-regional services such as Liverpool – Norwich.
Broader refurbishment programme
The upgrade of the Class 170 fleet is part of a broader €70 million investment into EMR’s rolling stock. This includes planned refurbishments of Class 158 and Class 360 units operating elsewhere on the network.
Interior design work was carried out by DG Design, a Derby-based firm. The project also involves various suppliers from Derby, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and Crewe. These collaborations align with efforts to maintain a local supply chain within the railway industry.
The refurbished trains are intended to remain in regular regional service during and after the staged rollout of EMR's upcoming Aurora fleet, which will focus on long-distance services.
