Rail passengers in northern England have been promised improved services – even though some of the area’s trains are being transferred south.

And Huddersfield travellers on the trans-Pennine route are set to get more seats as part of the changes.

Under a leasing agreement, nine trains being used on First TransPennine Express (FTPE) routes will move to the Chiltern franchise this spring.

But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said agreement had been reached to secure additional trains for the FTPE and Northern franchise areas and that existing rail services will be maintained from May, when new timetables are introduced.

A spokesman for FTPE said Huddersfield passengers travelling on the trans-Pennine route would see no change to frequency of current services as a result of the loss of the nine Class 170 trains to Chiltern.

He said four of the five hourly-trains currently running through Huddersfield west towards Manchester and east towards Leeds are newer three-carriage Class 185s while the fifth – currently a 170 – would be replaced by a 185 from May.

It means all five trains will be operated with a minimum of three carriages or 181 seats. At present, some services on the route are operated by two-carriage trains with 116 seats.

Mr McLoughlin said: “Rail services across the North are vital for passengers and for the economy. By helping people access work and leisure more easily, we are securing long-term economic growth across the region. That is why we have worked hard with Northern and TransPennine Express to ensure we expand services and enhance passenger journeys.”

New Northern and Transpennine franchises are scheduled to start from February 1, 2016, and the Department for Transport (DfT) is set to announce specifications for these shortly.

Bus and train group First, which operates FTPE, is on a shortlist along with rivals Stagecoach and Keolis/Go Ahead to operate the new franchise after February 1, 2016.