ONE third of Northern’s fleet of brand new trains is now in service as the company says customers are getting where they need to be each day in more comfort than ever before.

The operator says the £500 million investment in 101 trains is well on track with 33 of the Class 195 and Class 331 trains operating on a number of routes.

The new trains feature free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, at-seat power and customer information/media screens with real-time information. They are also more spacious for customers and are fully accessible with spaces for wheelchairs and bikes.

David Brown, Northern’s managing director, said: “The Northern network is busier than it has been for a generation – more than 100 million customer journeys will be made on Northern services in 2019 – and the introduction of new trains is at the heart of our transformation for customers.

“We are delighted, therefore, that even more customers travelling across the north are now served by brand new trains –more than one million customer journeys have already been made on the new trains.”

Earlier this month the T&A reported that Northern had been forced to cancel a "huge" number of services last month amid staffing problems created by the need to send drivers for training on its new fleet of trains.

Mr Brown added: “These fantastic trains are a true step-change in travelling experience and we are extremely proud to be delivering a £500m investment.

“Today we are really pleased to have 33 brand new trains carrying customers, with more to come throughout 2019 and into 2020."