Passengers are on track to benefit from faster, longer trains and over 6,000 extra seats each day on journeys into Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow and Edinburgh, the government announced today.
The capacity boost is being provided thanks to 40 new train carriages set to be introduced on the First TransPennine Express networks from December 2013.
Welcoming the news, Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones said:
This is great news for passengers who will get faster, longer trains and more seats. Our rail infrastructure needs major investment and I am pleased to see that the Government is prioritising spending on infrastructure projects. These projects help our economy grow and represent a good investment of scarce resources.
This good news for transport in our region comes hot on the heels of some major improvements to Harrogate services in the last couple of years. We have seen new services from London, extra carriages on the Leeds-Harrogate-York line at peak times and new ticket collection facilities at Harrogate station.
I made improving rail services in our area a priority when I stood for election. So far we have made good progress but I will continue working with business groups and local people campaigning for even more improvements.
TransPennine Express’ 40 new carriages will be used on the Manchester to Scotland route following the electrification of the line between Manchester and the West Coast Main Line south of Wigan. The new carriages will enable existing diesel rolling stock to be redeployed across the franchise to increase capacity into Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle.
The new carriages are part of wider plans by the Government to introduce 2,700 carriages onto the rail network by 2019.
