Porterbrook to maintain West Midlands Class 172s

Porterbrook has taken over maintenance of West Midlands Trains’ Class 172 diesel multiple unit fleet, in what the rolling stock company calls an industry first.

The aim is to improve reliability and reduce costs associated with the Bombardier DMUs, which were introduced in 2009-10.

The new contract covers the delivery of heavy maintenance, future maintenance optimisation, and product enhancements. It follows a pilot scheme where Porterbrook provided additional support based around maintenance optimisation and remote condition monitoring.

WMT Engineering Director Zena Dent said: “This new way of working, between a train operator and a rolling stock company, is yet another example of how we are driving forward to improve passenger services across our network.”