Supporting the Northern Powerhouse
Passengers, communities and businesses in the North will benefit from big changes happening on our railway.
Big Changes in 2020
New 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.
![Liverpool Lime St station exterior]()
Free parking for NHS and care workers in Manchester and LiverpoolNHS and care workers using Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street stations can park for free during the coronavirus...
![Father and daughter railway employees on track]()
Track-engineering father and son keep railway running safelyRailway upgrades by a father-and-son duo are today helping keep critical supplies and key workers moving across Britain. Over...
![Forklift loading goods onto truck]()
Network Rail supports army to deliver vital medical face masksRailway workers have driven hundreds of miles through the night to deliver two lorry loads of protective medical face masks...
![Empty level crossing]()
Network Rail begins work to improve a Lincolnshire level crossingWork will begin next month to improve a Lincolnshire level crossing, which will make sure it can continue to be used reliably...
![You vs train promotional materials]()
BPT and Network Rail remind us of the dangers of the railwayWith schools closed for the foreseeable future, and parents seeking to fill their children’s time at home, British Transport...
![All industry logos in joint open letter, TOCs, FOCs, Network Rail and Unions]()
Together we are keeping the country connected for essential travelJoint rail industry open letter: These are exceptional times. COVID-19 is changing how everyone in the UK lives, works and...
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?
