Knorr-Bremse has secured a five-year extension to its contract with Chiltern Railways to maintain the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems on its rolling stock.

Over the last ten years, Knorr-Bremse has been responsible for the maintenance of its HVAC equipment on Chiltern Railways Class 168 units.

As well as maintenance, the new contract now includes repairs, spares, and on-site support of all HVAC systems installed in Chiltern Railways rolling stock.

This comprises 358 HVAC systems in Chiltern Railways Class 165 and Class 168 diesel multiple units, as well as its Silver Set Mk .3 coaches and driving van trailers.

The contract also makes provision for Knorr-Bremse to work with other operators that maintain Chiltern Railways fleet, such as Arriva TrainCare.

A dedicated on-site repair team will be based at Chiltern Railways depot at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, but major overhauls of the HVAC systems will be carried out at Knorr-Bremse’s state-of-the-art facility at Calne in Wiltshire.

Phil Andrews, Head of Engineering Commercial at Chiltern Railways expressed delight that the operator has renewed its partnership with Knorr-Bremse., as it is a well-established relationship put in place for the maintenance and repair of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems fitted to its trains and which are crucial for its customers travel experience.

Knorr-Bremse also maintains the HVAC systems on Class 165s in service with Great Western Railway

As well as its involvement with HVAC systems, in association with VTG Rail UK, engineers and innovators from Knorr-Bremse developed wheel slide protection and real-time tracking fitted to the world’s first intelligent freight wagons that entered service on Monday, 7th April.

“This is great news for Knorr-Bremse. This contract solidifies our position as the unrivalled market leader for the supply of HVAC overhaul, repairs and spare parts and proves our commitment to long-standing customers. It also highlights our ability to work on HVAC systems produced by various manufacturers.”

Paul Battams, Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Ltd Business Development Manager