The first of Liverpool City Region’s new £500 million trains have come into passenger service for the first time, with the Mayor Steve Rotheram hailing the occasion as a “massive day, not just for our area, but for the entire country”.
There was a huge sense of excitement as Mayor Rotheram was joined by passengers, residents and rail enthusiasts alike on Monday (January 23) on the Kirkby line to mark this landmark occasion that sees the half a billion-pound investment in rail services come to life.
He said: “This is a massive day, not just for our area, but for the entire country, as we launch the UK’s first publicly-owned trains in a generation into service for the first time. Alongside the work we’re doing on buses, active travel and integrated ticketing, we’re bringing our transport network into the 21st century.
“Designed in consultation with local people, they’re some of the most accessible and sophisticated in the entire country, with great new features like level access with sliding step technology, more room for bikes and wheelchairs, phone charging and Wi-Fi onboard.
“This half a billion pound investment shows the difference devolution makes. We’re charting our own course, putting the public back into public transport and delivering the services that our region’s 1.6 million people deserve.”
It marks the start of the phased rollout, with the Ormskirk line next to be introduced. The rest of the network across both the Northern and Wirral lines will follow later in the year.
Visit www.merseytravel.gov.uk/newtrains for more details.
Photo credit: Liverpool City Region
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