LONDON MIDLAND has unveiled the first of a new fleet of 27 Class 172 diesels, which are due to enter service between Worcester, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon next month.

The fleet has been built by Bombardier at Derby and is costing £93 million. It will replace the ex-BR Class 150 units which have been running in the area for many years.

The units are air conditioned and have wheelchair-accessible toilets, as well as wider doors. They also meet modern standards of passenger information, with displays both inside and outside the vehicles.

London Midland said its new trains had been designed to 'reduce noise, so customers will enjoy a quieter environment'.

The operator's managing director Mike Hodson said: "We are looking forward to bringing these new trains to our customers on this extremely popular route. We are anticipating that passenger numbers will further increase next year. These new trains will provide a much more pleasant travel environment for our customers.”

Centro, the West Midlands PTE, also welcomed the arrival of the new trains. Geoff Inskip, who is chief executive of Centro, said: “More people are turning to local rail year on year, especially for the daily commute and it’s important that they get quality services.” These new trains should bring improved comfort for passengers so their introduction is to be welcomed.”

However, the delivery of the Class 172s from Derby marks one stage of a slow run-down at the Litchurch Lane works. As the dispute over whether Bombardier or Siemens should build the new fleet of 1,200 vehicles for Thameslink continues, Bombardier is preparing to lay off more than 1,400 staff, about a third of whom were permanent employees.

Siemens is currently preferred bidder for the £1.4 billion Thameslink contract, but calls are growing for the award to be reconsidered following the revelation that the Germany-owned company has been implicated in a number of corruption scandals around the world.