Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has unveiled the first of its new 52-strong fleet of trains, purchased from manufacturer Stadler for £460m and to be operated by Merseyrail. Tony McDonough reports
Merseyrail’s train fleet could more double in size over the next few years if ambitions to expand the network become reality.
On Tuesday, the first of the new 52-strong train fleet, purchased from Swiss manufacturer Stadler for £460m by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, was unveiled to the media at a rail depot in north Liverpool.
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram was at the event and, standing in front of the first train at the Stadler depot, he told those assembled that its arrival signalled the start of the introduction of a “London-style integrated transport system for the city region”.
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He added: “By the end of the year we hope to have taken delivery of a new fleet of hydrogen buses and we are investing £18m for walkers and cyclists. We want to make public transport a quality alternative to driving your car. We don’t want to force people out of their cars – we just want to give them a good alternative.”
Merseytravel has yet to reveal exactly when the new trains will come into service but David Powell, project director for the fleet, told LBN they expected them to start operating on either the Northern or Wirral line later this year and into 2021.
He explained: “There is a lot of work still to do. Things such as testing of the trains on the network and driver training. Juggling the logistics of taking out the old trains and bringing in the new fleet will be quite a challenge.”
Mr Powell said the Combined Authority had an option with Stadler to purchase up to 60 extra trains over the next few years. That would more than double the size of the fleet to 112. He added: “That is not definite but it is possible we will bring in more trains if the next few years if the size of the network or the number of passengers increases.”
There are a number of plans put forward that could see the footprint of the Merseyrail network grow. There are suggestions of new stations close to Baltic Triangle and Liverpool FC as well as in Kirkby. There is also an ambition to expand the network as far as Skelmersdale.”
The first new train has travelled more than 900 miles across three countries and will begin testing on the network in the next few weeks. Stadler has taken control of the Kirkdale depot following a £21m upgrade of the facility.
The new fleet will be based there while the old rolling stock will be moved to Birkenhead before being returned to owner Angel Trains, from whom they are leased. The next new train is expected to arrive at Kirkdale in late March.
The new Class 777 trains include free Wi-Fi, wider seats and space for up to 50% more passengers. They will also feature pioneering sliding step technology which will allow unassisted access for wheelchair users and those with bikes or buggies – a first for the UK.
All of the trains will be more energy efficient and the Combined Authority estimates the investment will boost the city region by £70m a year. They will also come equipped with wifi, plug sockets and USB charging points.
Some of the current rolling stock dates back to the mid to late 1970s and Mr Powell said they hoped the new fleet would last for a similar period of time. He added: “If we maintain them property we could see 35 to 40 years of good service.”
And Mr Rotheram added: “82% of public transport journeys in the Liverpool city region are made by bus. We want to get more people to use the trains by integrating them with the buses and the ferries.”