Merseyrail’s new fleet of trains gets the go-ahead for introduction after a deal is agreed upon with the ASLEF union.

Merseyrail’s brand new £500m fleet has been built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler and saw Dynamic-testing take place at a test ring in Wildenrath, Germany back in October 2019.

The trains were expected to be in service during 2020 however were delayed largely due to the impacts of COVID and ongoing negotiations with trade unions in regard to working with the new fleet.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region was delighted with the news of an agreement and said: “The agreement between Merseyrail and ASLEF is brilliant news for us because it gives the green light to launch our region’s new £500m fleet of publicly owned trains into action. We are enormously grateful to passengers for their patience during this process but the day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived!

“Throughout this process, all parties have worked diligently to ensure that passengers can enjoy our new trains as soon as possible. We’ve worked with the trade unions and the train operator to help deliver a fair deal for everyone; one that protects jobs enhances the role of a second safety-critical member of staff on every train and provides passengers with value for money.

“Unlike the government’s approach nationally, we’ve shown that there is a better way to handle these matters – and it’s by getting everyone around the table and working together in good faith.”

The Mayor also revealed his pride in the development and introduction of the state-of-the-art trains which will no doubt be welcomed by passengers, and went on to say: “These new £500m publicly-owned trains will be the envy of towns and cities across the country. By putting our principles into practice, we have developed the most sophisticated and accessible local trains in the UK – symbolic of our wider efforts to modernise and grow the Liverpool City Region.

The new fleet will see an increase in capacity of up to 50%, featuring CCTV, free Wi-Fi, larger seats, and more spacious cycle storage. One of the new fleet’s most exciting features is the sliding step technology which will enable wheelchair users unassisted access.

“Today is a massive milestone in my journey to build the London-style transport system that our area deserves. These new trains will bring the region’s rail network into the 21st century.

He also added: “Alongside the work, we’re doing to take back control of our buses, investments in active travel, and work to simplify and integrate ticketing, I want to build a network that is cheaper, faster, cleaner and more reliable.

“We’ll be announcing the schedule for the phased introduction of our new trains imminently – watch this space!”