The first refurbished Class 170 is being praised by East Midlands Railways customers.

The £23 million transformation of their Class 170 fleet is being carried out to improve customer experience.

The refurbished train includes new seats and tables, along with charging facilities. The East Midlands Railway have installed new flooring and a passenger information system.

Featuring renewed toilets and a dedicated bike storage area, even the interiors got a new look.

Customers have shared their thoughts on the train, which went into service in April and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Customer reviews included that of Kieran, who travelled from Derby to Matlock and said, “I’m loving these new trains. They are lush. The seats are fantastic and the tables are amazing.” Nina, who did the reverse journey of Kieran, said, “I got a little bit of a shock when we came on because it’s very, very fancy – with lots of places, power points, and sockets on the table, which was unexpected. So yeah, I really love it.”

The fleet of 44 Class 170s operates services across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. This refurbishment is part of an East Midlands bigger £60 million project, which will also see the refurbishment of their Class 158s and Class 360 trains.

“The arrival of our first refurbished train into service is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter for EMR – one that puts customer comfort and experience front and centre.

“It’s brilliant to hear such enthusiastic feedback from our customers. We’ve worked hard to deliver a modern, welcoming environment on board – from upgraded seating to power sockets and improved information screens – and it’s clear those changes are being noticed and appreciated.

“And this is only the start. More refurbished trains will be joining the fleet throughout the year – transforming journeys across the region and setting a new standard for rail travel with EMR.”

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Experience Director at East Midlands Railway