Labour MPs welcome ‘breakthrough’ of electric train investment

COMING TO HULL: An image of one of the new battery-electric trains

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Hull Labour MPs have welcomed the announcement that the city will be included when the £1bn TransPennine Express fleet of new battery-electric trains come into service.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced last night that a new fleet of 29 battery-electric TransPennine Express trains would begin serving the city in 2034.

The new trains will operate services between key destinations across the North – Manchester Piccadilly and Hull, Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, and Manchester Airport and Saltburn.

The battery-electric Adessia Stream trains, the first of their kind on a UK main line route, will provide emission-free travel on non-electrified sections of the railway. 

Hull North and Cottingham MP Diana Johnson and Hull West and Haltemprice MP Emma Hardy said: “This breakthrough means that the network of cleaner, more reliable and faster battery-electric Northern Powerhouse Rail trains will come all the way to Hull, backed up with the required infrastructure in Hull, by the mid-2030s.

“Faster electric trains will expand capacity in the rail network and enable improvements to be made in the frequency of direct services to destinations all the way across the North between Hull and Liverpool.

“The greater connectivity will also help boost productivity in the North and economic growth nationally.

“TransPennine Express, Great British Rail and our Government are also sending a message to the whole rail industry about moving forward on eliminating polluting diesel in rail routes throughout Northern England and beyond.

“The long cross-party campaign by Humber MPs for electrification of rail routes to Hull will not end until we actually see these new battery bi-modal trains in the 2030s, because we know that Reform are opposed to Northern Powerhouse Rail and are committed to axing it if they are given the chance.”

The DfT said journey times will be cut by up to ten minutes between Manchester and Leeds and up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York. Passengers will also enjoy quieter, smoother and more reliable journeys, as well as improved accessibility, more luggage space and onboard Wi-Fi.

The trains will provide improved accessibility including step-free boarding and the elimination of gaps between the train and platform, making journeys easier for wheelchair users, people with pushchairs and those with luggage.  

Each train will also include three dedicated wheelchair spaces, two accessible toilets, family-friendly areas and cycle and buggy storage.