Northern has announced that it has now introduced 75% of its new trains into passenger service.
Nine new trains were launched on the network this week, meaning that 75 of the 101 trains ordered are now carrying passengers.
The introduction of the new trains began last summer, and since then, more than 5 million journeys have been made on Class 195 and Class 331 trains.
The new trains feature Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, power sockets and customer information screens (CIS).
What do you think of the Northern's new trains? Let us know in the comments below.
What did the officials say?
Chris Burchell, Managing Director of Arriva Rail UK, said:
“I am delighted that our ambitious new trains project is 75 per cent complete, and we are on schedule to have all 101 trains in service by May this year.
“The new trains are truly transformational and it's great that more than five million journeys have already been made on Northern in more comfort and with more state-of-the-art technology than ever before.”
“I want to acknowledge the team and colleagues at Northern who have worked expertly and professionally – in sometimes challenging circumstances – to get us to this point.
“It is not easy to introduce brand new trains and there is a tremendous amount of unseen work and preparation in the background. Colleagues have done a magnificent job and I want to thank them on behalf of Arriva for their hard work and continued commitment to delivering the improvements our customers deserve.”
Richard Allan, Northern's Deputy Managing Director said:
“The Northern network is busier than it has been for a generation – more than 108 million journeys were made on Northern services in 2019 and we are committed to delivering a 21st Century railway for those customers. The introduction of new trains is at the heart of this transformation.
“These fantastic trains are a true step-change in travelling experience and we are extremely proud to have introduced 75 brand new trains, with all 101 scheduled to be carrying passengers by the end of May.”
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Any progress is good news, but should not Northern’s jubilation be saved for the point at which they have introduced 100% of the fleet? (and got them running reliably).
Northern should introduce more new trains for the Northeast. But when will it happen?
Mike, fancy criticising Michael Holden on quoting without checking his facts, as the 70% figure you quote regarding the “dreaded pacers” has been well published elsewhere, have you personally investigated this claim or just taken it word for word from the same site as I found the information? Beware of “FakeNews” it generally makes a fool of you.
Lighten up.
The new CAF dmu’s are let down by the dreadful rattling suspension, and the seats not lining up with the windows, due to single, inward facing seats fitted near the doors. If these were repositioned, then the table seats could be realigned giving proper views out!
Hi cliff,
I understand what you mean but, most units today don’t have seats what line up with windows unfortunately because due to a overcrowded network planners put capacity before the view from a window.
FAO Michael Holden
———————-
Ho Michael, do you just take word for word the copy publicity that Northern gave you or
do you offer any question or research into it. These 195’s and 331’s are NOT yet as reliable as even the 150/156’s they are replacing and are only 70% as good, service wise as the dreaded pacers. You would make this web page far, far more readable and enjoyable if there was just a hint of not taking anything released to you at face value. Where is that gem of investigative journalism?