Supporting the Northern Powerhouse
Now and in 2020 passengers, communities and businesses in the North benefit from big changes happening on our railway.
Big Changes now and in 2020
Trains
- 220 new Nova carriages by May 2020 on TransPennine Express
- New trains on Merseyrail from 2020 that can carry 50% more passengers
- Refurbished trains on the West Coast by the end of 2020
- 65 new Azuma trains on LNER will be rolled out by June 2020
- 101 new Northern trains worth £500m and 243 refurbished trains coming throughout 2019 and 2020
- Five new trains for Hull Trains passengers, worth £60 million from late 2019
Stations, tracks, depots
- Merseyrail infrastructure upgrades including track, platforms, power supplies and depots at Kirkdale and Birkenhead North
- Northern has installed more than 600 touch screen ticket machines, making it easier to get the right ticket
- New stations opening at Warrington West and Horden
- TransPennine Express will continue introducing mobile touch screen information points at all stations
Communities
- Merseyrail working with 7,000 students in 2020 on rail safety and careers within the rail industry
- First TrenItalia committing to £70 million for free on train Wi-Fi and 5G capability
- Northern launched All Right, a railway suicide prevention scheme
- LNER planted more than 2,800 trees in partnership with the Carbon Trust
Major upgrade work
- £13 billion commitment to transform transport in the North
- £460 million programme of investment, managed by Merseytravel
- Over 100 platforms will be extended at more than 70 stations
- Extra platform at Leeds station
Changes happening now in the North
Below are press releases from rail companies in the North promoting changes and improvements happening in the area.
![Northern Train]()
Northern changes timetables as Christmas arrives in LincolnIt’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Lincoln and, to help customers get in the festive spirit, Northern is...
![LNER train on track going through a field]()
Azuma arrives for LNER Aberdeen servicesLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER) is celebrating the arrival of Azuma services on the East Coast route between Aberdeen and...
![Train carriage doing a joint workout]()
Merseyrail hosts first ever ‘train workout class’ with Merseyside Sport PartnershipMerseyrail passengers enjoyed a journey with a twist this week as they took part in the first ever train workout class on the...
![HUll new trains]()
A new era for hull trains with new trainsAfter months of driver training and behind the scenes preparations, Hull Trains welcomes the first of five state-of-the-art,...
![Northern train front]()
New trains reach two million journey milestoneNorthern’s new trains have reached another landmark – recording more than two million customer journeys since the launch of...
![Entrance to Spalding station]()
Network Rail start work to improve accessibility at Spalding stationNetwork Rail is installing lifts at Spalding station to provide step-free access over to platform two, making it easier for...
People across the North support rail companies’ proposals for change
The rail industry recognise the need for big changes, that's why together we submitted proposals for a radical alternative to the current franchising system to the independently-chaired Williams review looking into the future of Britain's railway. We proposed for a more customer focussed, joined-up and accountable railway.
See whats happening elsewhere in Britain
See whats happening elsewhere in Britain
What big changes do you want?
Rail companies are calling for big changes but what matters to you?
