Eversholt Rail has signed a £60m contract with Wabtec covering the refurbishment of an initial batch of 30 four-car Class 321 EMUs. The demonstrator for this upgrade was unveiled in 2013 (RB1440 p6), and subsequently spent 15 months in trial service with Greater Anglia. Passenger and TOC feedback has been used to develop and refine the scope of the Class 321 mid-life upgrade. 'We started this phase of the project in July 2014 and it is incredible to see what has been achieved in such a short space of time', said Eversholt Rail Group Chief Operating Officer Andy Course. 'Our partnership with Wabtec will raise the bar on what can be achieved in a mid-life upgrade.' With uncertainty over the requirements for new EMUs in future replacement franchise lTTs, the Class 321 programme, known as Renatus from the Latin for 'reborn', is a pre-emptive move by Eversholt aimed at keeping the legacy fleet in long-term frontline service. At present the ROSCO has no end user in view, but says that the modernised fleet would provide an attractive combination of an 'as-new' interior and facilities at leasing and maintenance costs significantly lower than new build.
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