Free water refill points have been installed onboard Avanti West Coast train services.

This initiative is ‘a first for the railway industry,’ in an attempt to reduce the amount of single-use plastic.

The water points have been rolled out for customers travelling on either a Pendolino or Evero train.

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It’s part of a wider £450 million investment in the company’s fleet – the firm operate Preston Railway Station.

They say the easy-to-use dispensing points have already proven to be a big hit with customers.

Bob Powell, Head of Inclusive Customer Experience at Avanti West Coast said: “The water refill points are another example of how we are raising the bar for rail travel in the UK.

“With many people now carrying their own water bottle, the opportunity to refill them free of charge is part of our responsible business commitment to build a cleaner and greener railway, and significantly reduce single-use plastic onboard our services.”

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In pre-launch testing, customers travelling onboard the Pendolino fleet drank over 21k litres of water in three months, the equivalent of 42,000 standard-sized 500ml plastic water bottles.

Wenlock Spring provides the water for the Pendolino refill stations.

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