Andy Burnham has announced a £1 billion investment expected to bring faster and more reliable trains to Manchester and the north. A new TransPennine Express fleet of 29 battery-electric trains will cut journey times by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds, and up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York, the government says.
New fleet details and routes
The new trains will run on routes between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, Manchester Airport and Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly and Hull. They should be built from 2028 and enter service from the end of 2034.
The Prime Minister said: "I've lost count of the number of times someone has stopped me to tell me about the train that never came. And when that happens, it means missed shifts, missed appointments, and missed opportunities."
"Today that starts to change. These 29 new trains will bring faster, more reliable journeys to the North, and thousands of British jobs for the next generation. It's exactly what Great British Railways is all about - taking back control of the basics and getting Britain believing again."
Jobs and capacity boost
The new fleet will be built at Alstom's Litchurch Lane works in Derby, supporting more than 350 jobs locally and almost 6,000 across the UK supply chain, according to the government. They could boost capacity by 30 per cent across the Pennines by the mid-2030s.
The Adessia Stream trains will be the first battery-electric models used for long-distance main line services in the UK. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the investment embodies how Great British Railways "will deliver better journeys for people while backing British business".
"Passengers will be able to wave goodbye to overcrowded, delayed diesel trains and step onboard faster electric trains which are fit for the future," she said.
Passenger benefits and contract structure
The new trains will run without emissions on sections of the railway that are not electrified. They will offer improved accessibility through step-free boarding and more wheelchair spaces, family-friendly areas, cycle and buggy storage and onboard Wi-Fi.
The contract will see the Government investing directly into Alstom. The trains will be bought by rolling stock company Rock Rail and leased to TransPennine Express.
