New Northern trains for South Yorkshire

From Sunday 15 December more than 50 new Northern trains will be carrying customers across the network – with a further 49 to be introduced in 2020.

The new trains feature free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, at-seat power and customer information/media screens with real-time information. They are also more spacious for customers and are fully accessible with spaces for wheel chairs and cycles.

Steve Hopkinson, Northern’s Regional Director said: “The Northern network is busier than it has been for a generation – more than 100 million customer journeys will be made on Northern services in 2019 – and the introduction of new trains is at the heart of delivering improvements for our customers.

“We are delighted, therefore, that customers travelling through South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands will now be served by brand new trains.

“These fantastic trains are a true step-change in travelling experience and we are extremely proud to be delivering a £500m investment for our customers.”

Andrew Denniff, Chief Executive of Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, added: “We are looking to grow our economy in a way where everyone gets a full opportunity to succeed – and also in a sustainable way.  Trains are a very energy efficient and carbon friendly way to transport passengers around our Region and beyond.

“We are now seeing the promised investment and so today is a day for celebration. It is the start of a new era of rail travel in South Yorkshire and I warmly welcome it on behalf of all businesses.”

Northern’s new trains are part of the largest modernisation programme in a generation that is transforming travel in the north of England. The train operator is currently fully refurbishing its existing fleet of 268 trains, improving its stations and has introduced more than 2,000 extra services a week since 2016.