A rail firm has secured a £20m contract for fixing and replacing train chassis, weeks after it unveiled a significant upgrade of its facilities.. Alstom's site in Crewe, Cheshire, will overhaul almost 400 bogies - the frames that carry a train carriage's wheels and axles - over the next two years. The contract would support 50 jobs, the firm said, working on Southeastern's Class 465 Networker fleet. "This award is a strong vote of confidence in Crewe's capability and in the expertise of our people," said Mark Derbyshire, general manager at Crewe Works. 广告 It would help sustain skilled jobs in the north of England as well as continue the town's railway heritage, he added. The contract, with Eversholt Rail, will see bogies transported to Crewe weekly from Southeastern's Slade Green depot in London when the project begins next year. Southeastern The Alstom-built Class 465 Networkers first entered passenger service in 1992 The Alstom-built Networkers first entered passenger service in 1992 and the new contract will enable them to remain in operation while procurement takes place for a replacement fleet. Alstom's base in Cheshire has overhauled more than 20,000 bogies over the past decade. It is also set to produce them for HS2 rolling stock - marking the first time in almost 20 years that they will have been manufactured in the UK. Crewe Works was originally opened by the Grand Junction Railway in 1843 to manufacture steam locomotives, and has been instrumental in the development of the town, with its population growing from 500 in 1841 to more than 40,000 by 1900.
