Supporting the Northern Powerhouse
Passengers, communities and businesses in the North will benefit from big changes happening on our railway.
Big Changes 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.
![STEM centre training facility]()
Network Rail look to inspire young people as ground-breaking STEM learning facility opensNetwork Rail has opened a dedicated STEM learning facility with the aim of inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in...
![Signalling cabinets on stilts]()
Signalling equipment on stilts helping storm-proof West Coast main lineA section of the West Coast main line in Cumbria, which was wrecked by flooding for a fortnight in 2015, reopened in less than...
![People being trained in application day]()
GB Railfreight Holds Recruitment Day for Military Service Leavers in PeterboroughOn Wednesday 12 February, GB Railfreight, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s Career Transition Partnership (CTP),...
![Senior members joint signing document]()
Nexus and Stadler officially sign the contract for a new Metro train fleetStadler has been chosen by Nexus after an 18-month global search for the best manufacturing partner for 42 new trains to be...
![Control panel with person]()
Multi-billion-pound signalling contracts awarded to help deliver a more reliable railway for passengersBillions of pounds will be invested in railway signalling over the next five years to improve the reliability of systems on...
![Northern Staff celebrating next to depot]()
New multi-million pound train depot opens in WiganNetwork Rail and Arriva Rail North (Northern) have unveiled a £46m state-of-the-art train depot in Wigan. The depot...
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?
