First refurbished CrossCountry Voyager
posted on 12th Feb 2026 06:02
On 9 February 2026, Alstom has unveiled the first refurbished train in CrossCountry’s Voyager fleet, as part of its 60 million GBP contract to deliver a more comfortable experience for passengers across Great Britain. Revealed at Alstom’s historic Litchurch Lane Works in Derby was unit 220 033. Since it was first introduced, it has clocked around 9.35 million km.
The Voyagers are maintained, serviced and overhauled by Alstom at its Central Rivers Depot in Staffordshire, while the refurbishment has been carried out by around 130 staff at Derby Litchurch Lane. Legacy Alstom trains, the Voyagers are operated by CrossCountry and owned by rolling stock company Beacon.
Over the next two years, a total of 136 Voyager (Class 220) and 176 Super Voyager (Class 221) cars are being refurbished by Alstom in Derby, including an additional 12 trains added to the CrossCountry fleet following their release from Avanti West Coast.
The long-distance Voyager fleet has been a cornerstone of Britain’s railways for over two decades, operating across the CrossCountry network, from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Penzance, England. Originally built in 2000, the trains replaced former British Rail stock. Modern features like air conditioning and electronic reservations helped transform long-distance travel, doubling passenger numbers from 12 million in 1997 to 24 million by 2007. In 2025, CrossCountry delivered a total of 39.6 million journeys, calling at more than 100 stations across the country.
Voyager's refurbishment programme delivers a fully refreshed interior and exterior, creating a modern and consistent look throughout the fleet, across both standard and first class. Over the next two years, all 70 trains in CrossCountry’s long-distance fleet will see:
- New seating with increased legroom, improved under-seat storage and integrated power sockets (three-pin, USB-A and USB-C),
- Upgraded tables at all seats,
- New carpets throughout and refreshed interior and exterior artwork,
- New, more efficient LED lighting throughout,
- Refurbished toilets and vestibules throughout the trains,
- New and upgraded onboard CCTV, forward-facing cameras and automatic passenger counters.
In line with Alstom’s policy of sending no waste to landfill, would-be waste material from the refurbishment process is set to be recycled, with options being explored on how to make the most of these as the programme continues. Beacon leases Voyager fleet to CrossCountry, with the rolling stock company investing a total of 75.1 million GBP in the fleet refurbishment.
