Northern’s new trains reach 10 million-mile landmark

The brand-new trains – electric Class 331s and diesel Class 195s – were first introduced for Northern customers in July 2019.

Now, with 100 trains carrying Northern customers through 11 different counties in the region, calling at more than 150 stations, they have clocked 10 million miles in just 20 months.

Tricia Williams, Northern’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our new trains are key to the transformation of rail travel in the north and it’s fantastic that so many customers will have experienced better journeys over so many miles.

“Our commitment to modernising the railway is absolute and the £500 million investment in new trains – providing faster, more comfortable and more efficient journeys is testament to the work carried out by Northern to deliver significant improvements.”

The CAF-built trains feature free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, at-seat power and customer information/media screens with real-time information. They are also more spacious and fully accessible, with spaces for wheelchairs and bikes. 

Northern’s new trains are part of the largest modernisation programme in a generation that is transforming travel in the north of England. The wider modernisation campaign – A Better Way to Go – has not only seen the introduction of new trains, the operator has also fully refurbished its existing fleet of trains and delivered millions of pounds of improvements at its stations.

Tricia added: “Despite the difficult year – dominated by the coronavirus pandemic – we have made great strides to improve our network. We have been busy during the months when our customers have been away from the railway and have delivered enhancements across all parts of our business. When our customers return, I’m confident they will notice the improvements we’ve made and will clearly see we are giving them a better way to go.”