Think Railways

Alstom’s expertise in DC motor renovation has led to a two-year extension of a contract with Eversholt Rail Group. The contract will see the Alstom team at its Parts and Modernisation centre in Preston renovate the TM2141 DC motors in use by train operating companies (TOCs) across the UK, including Abellio Greater Anglia, First Scotrail, First Capital Connect, Northern Rail and London Midland.

The TM2141 traction motor is used on Class 318, 320, 321 and 322 trains, with Alstom introducing a number of technical improvements to the traction motor, including the application of the Alstom Moisture Protection System.

Martin Higson, Managing Director of Alstom Parts and Modernisation in the UK, said: “Under this contract we hold responsibility for the management of the spare traction motors and this enables us to swap them out when the TOCs send us the motors for overhaul or repair that they have in service, so ensuring they can continue to run their trains seamlessly.

“But we’re not just stopping there, we’re also offering the customers a set price, based on our experience with the motors, so they have certainty around how much it will cost, regardless of the repair carried out on the motor.

“Under this phase of the contract we demonstrated our experience in DC machines to adopt the Design Authority responsibility for this traction motor, and we’re also looking at further ways we can improve the motors’ effectiveness which will help reduce maintenance costs for our customers, as well as offering a C4 overhaul warranty to give them more certainty of ownership.”

Preston is Alstom’s Lead Service Centre for Traction Motors and is also the centre for spare parts logistics, for the supply, overhaul, modernisation and life extension of traction systems and components, and the supply of innovative new products such as energy efficient traction drives and remote condition monitoring systems. Preston’s expertise is also shared overseas, where it has helped with work on the Hong Kong metro, Athens metro, Turin tram and Finnish Pendolinos.