The Alstom works at Derby has won a second order, following the £370 million contract to build 10 trains for the Elizabeth Line.

Litchurch Lane works had run out of orders earlier this year, and was at risk of closure.

The new contract from ROSCo Beacon Rail, worth £60 million, is to refurbish the Voyager units which were built by Bombardier in Belgium for Virgin more than 20 years ago.

The work will involve 312 cars, which will be fitted with new seats, tables, carpets, improved lighting and a system to count passengers.

Alstom had signed an eight-year extension to its Train Services Agreement with CrossCountry last year, valued at about £825 million.

Alstom managing director for the UK and Ireland Peter Broadley said: ‘We now look forward to giving these iconic Alstom-built trains some well-deserved TLC with a comprehensive overhaul that will include new seats, on-board technology enhancements and an exterior repaint.’

CrossCountry fleet and engineering director Adrian Hugill added: ‘We’re delighted to be moving forward on the refurbishment of our Voyager fleet. We look forward to working with colleagues at Alstom and Beacon.’

Meanwhile, CrossCountry has been under fire following the news that it is reducing its services between Newcastle and Reading, and between Nottingham and Cardiff from 10 August to 9 November, to release time for driver training.

Several MPs from the places affected have voiced their concerns, while transport secretary Louise Haigh said she had approved the reductions ‘reluctantly’.

In a letter to CrossCountry, she said: ‘Over the past year, the level of train cancellations across your company has increased significantly and by your own forecasts, you expected to breach your contractual targets for cancellations in the coming months. Put simply, the only reason I accepted your proposal was to give passengers more certainty on which services will run.’

CrossCountry has been placed on a Remedial Plan. Ms Haigh added: ‘If you fail to deliver the Remedial Plan, I will not hesitate to take further action.’

The operator pointed out that changes to existing formations on the trains which do run will provide 97 per cent of the seats which are provided in its full timetable, but admitted that its service had ‘fallen below the standards our passengers should expect from us.‘

It continued: ‘All too frequently, our passengers have been inconvenienced by on-the-day cancellations, which results in poor quality and reliability of service. By the end of the temporary timetable, we will have more fully-trained drivers.’

The government is planning to renationalise the former English franchises over time as they expire, or when they reach a break point known as the core expiry date. The CrossCountry contract, which is owned by Arriva, could have run until 12 October 2031, but the core expiry date is 17 October 2027.