The first phase will replace Northern’s oldest trains – Class 150, 155 and 156 fleets – and will also support the early stages of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Phase two will cover the next phase of older trains and diesel-powered trains in the fleet.

The programme has three lots for the manufacturers to consider – Electric Multiple Units (EMU), Battery-Electric Multiple Units (BEMU), and Multi-mode Multiple Units (MMU) capable of conversion to either a BEMU or EMU during their life.

Only 25% of Northern’s network is electrified, and the infrastructure needed to support a large fleet of battery trains also does not exist right now. Multi-mode units would allow us to be flexible and react to changes that happen to the infrastructure around us. Multi-modal units in the order will be capable of conversion to battery or electric-only operation during their lifetime.

The infrastructure to support hydrogen fuel, particularly across a network as large as Northern’s, does not yet exist. To give Northern confidence that they can deliver new trains onto there network as well as meet environmental challenges they are choosing a mix of future-proofed diesel/electric, electric and battery-electric trains.