New trains and a better service for the North have been promised by Arriva, which started running the Northern franchise on April 1. It will operate the franchise until March 2025.
The company is introducing a 37% increase in peak time capacity and revamped ticketing, as it seeks to increase the number of weekly services it runs from 16,000 to 18,000.
Arriva plans to spend £1 billion over the next nine years on 281 new carriages, a 12% increase in the number of services, launching the Northern Connect brand (which will be separate to the rest of the franchise), and providing staff at 45 currently unstaffed stations.
Chris Burchell, managing director for Arriva’s UK Trains Division, said: “The journey towards a complete transformation in services for customers in the North starts now.”
Northern Managing Director Alex Hynes said: “Investment is exactly what customers wanted, and we are looking to achieving major improvements before the end of the decade.”
Sir Richard Leese, chairman of Rail North, said: “Today marks the start of better rail services for the North and of much greater local control over the development of these services.
“Passengers and businesses told us that they wanted less crowded trains, faster and more frequent services that start earlier and finish later, and more opportunities to travel on Sundays.”
- To read more on this story, read RAIL 798, published on April 13.
Andrewjgwilt1989 - 15/04/2016 02:28
New trains for Northern England as well Scotland, London and Southeast, Midlands and West Country are also getting new trains whilst the East of England is yet to suffer with having to keep the crappy Class 317's, "Dusty Bin" Class 321's and Class 90 MK3 Intercity rolling stocks as well Class 360's that are used on Abellio Greater Anglia network with all 94 Class 321's and 72 Class 317's to be refurbished and 21 Class 360's have already been refurbished and the 12 Class 317's and 13 Class 321's will also be cascaded from Great Northern to Abellio Greater Anglia to make the total of 107 Class 321's and 72 Class 317's as Great Northern are having the 31 Class 377's (9 Class 377/2 & 23 Class 377/5 from Thameslink) as Thameslink are having 155 Class 700's (55 Class 700/0 8-car and 60 Class 700/1 12-car) along with 25 Class 700/2 6-car trains to be built for Great Northern Moorgate-Stevenage via Hertford North, King's Cross-Welyne Garden City/Letchworth Garden City/Hertford North metro services as they will replace the 44 Class 313's with some of the Class 313's to be cascaded to Southern to be used on West Coastway and East Coastway routes to/from Brighton and the rest of the Class 313's along with 61 Class 315's to be cascaded to South Wales and Cardiff. London Overground will cascade the Class 317's back to Abellio GA as there will be a total of 107 Class 321's and 72 Class 317's on Abellio GA as London Overground are ordering 45 brand new Class 710 to replace the 24 Class 317's being used on Liverpool St-Cheshunt, Enfield Town and Chingford along with 17 Class 315's also to be replaced by Class 710 with 44 Class 315's on TfL Rail to be replaced by 65 brand new Class 345's for Crossrail "Elizabeth Line" route to/from Shenfield/Abbey Wood-Reading/Heathrow T4.