08.10.18
Northern unveils new £500m fleet
The new CAF-manufactured fleet of trains to be used by Northern was officially launched at a special event at the Edge Hill depot, Liverpool.
The eight state of the art trains – four class 195 and four class 331 vehicles – arrived for testing on the North West line last month.
The new CAF vehicles were first revealed by Northern back in February as part of the operator’s modernisation plans, with a total of 98 trains, both electric and diesel, coming to the line.
The trains were then tested in Velim, CAF’s Czech Republic testing centre before coming to the UK.
CAF UK director Richard Garner, a guest at the event, said: “It is extremely gratifying to know that in just a few months’ time the first customers will experience our high-quality, high-performance trains on this important and busy rail network across the north of England.”
CAF is supplying 25 two-car and 30 three-car Class 195 diesel multiple units (DMUs) and 31 three-car and 12 four-car Class 331 electric multiple units (EMUs).
They are scheduled to start entering service by the end of the year, and will see free customer Wi-Fi, air conditioning and new seat power and seat reservation bookings.
At the event, hosted by Northern, to unveil the fleet was David Brown, Northern’s managing director and Jake Berry, Northern Powerhouse minister.
David Brown said: “I was lucky enough to see the trains in production in Spain earlier in the year, but it’s even better to see them here in Liverpool – just weeks away from entering passenger service.
“The quality of what has been delivered is a real landmark for Northern and our customers, and to be able to demonstrate that quality to colleagues and stakeholders today is an incredibly proud moment for me.”
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Image credit - Northern