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 Lincolnshire, the East Midlands and South Yorkshire 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.”
Mike Timson, Chief Executive at Visit Lincoln, said: “This is really exciting for the city of Lincoln and I'm looking forward to working with Northern to show their customers what Lincoln has to offer - for business and leisure.
“The new trains present huge economic benefits for Lincoln and there has never been a better time to visit with a spectacular programme of events and experiences taking place in 2020. These include the opening of Lincoln Cathedral’s ‘Cathedral Connected’ project, a special ‘V&A’ exhibition in the city, the exciting retail development at the Cornhill Quarter and the St Marks Shopping Centre transformation – as well as several international travel trade projects we are working on with VisitBritain.”
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.