The Northern Rail franchise is being awarded to Arriva Rail North Ltd, while TransPennine Express is going to First Trans Pennine Express Ltd. The Department for Transport said the deals would see the introduction of 500 brand-new carriages. The outdated and unpopular Pacer trains would also be phased out.
Trains would have room for 40,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, and more than 2,000 extra services a week would be delivered, the DfT said. The two train operators will oversee £1.2bn of investment into the railways, according to the announcement.
