Alstom welcomes first passenger service to Cheshire site.

On Saturday, September 6, Alstom welcomed the inaugural passenger service to its modernisation facility in Widnes, Cheshire.

The UK Railtours charter, The Industria Ditat, paid a visit at the Alstom Transport Technology Centre as part of a tour of Britain’s uncommon railway track.

While travelling between Hertfordshire and North Wales, the tour stopped at Alstom’s 13,000 m² facility. The tour’s name, ‘Industria Ditat’, is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘Industry Enriches’ and is Widnes’ motto.

GB Railfreight locomotives 57303 and 60087 topped and tailed the visiting train. It arrived as 1Z15 in Widnes about 10:30 a.m. and was greeted by Mark McGrath and Tony Whitehead from Alstom’s Central Operations team.

It entered the facility through the arrival/departure queue and parked behind a renovated unit that was scheduled to depart later that day.

The tour train lingered at the location for about an hour, allowing passengers to view and photograph the facility. 1Z15 then left the site via Ditton Sidings for Ditton East Junction.

Alstom opened its huge Widnes factory in 2017. Its most recent projects include restoring Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 Pendolino trains, which began in 2021, and South West Railway’s fleet of Class 458 trains, which was completed in December last year.

After stopping in Widnes, the Industria Ditat continued to Glan Conwy Freight Depot via Llandudno Junction before returning to Watford Junction via the West Coast Main Line.

Eastern Rail Services furnished the train’s carriages, which included a combination of Mark 2 and Mark 3 historic carriages.

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