Rail passengers in Kirklees can look forward to enjoying the comfort of new electric and diesel trains by the end of 2018.
The first of 98 Northern Class 195 trains has left the CAF facility at Irun in northern Spain on the first leg of a journey that will criss-cross Europe before ultimately arriving in the north of England later this year.
From Spain to the UK via Germany and the Czech Republic, the diesel multiple unit (DMU), which boasts free wifi, plug sockets at every seat and air conditioning, made its way from the factory where it was built to Velim in the Czech Republic on a low-loader.
Ian Hyde, Northern’s Head of New Trains, said: “It made its first move under its own power on March 7. We’ve worked for so long on the design and construction of the new trains that it’s a real thrill to see one on the move for the first time, even if only for a few metres.”
The train is scheduled to arrive at the test track by the end of this week where it will undergo commissioning work on-site. Then, towards the end of March, full track testing will begin.
The trains, which are part of the Great North Rail Project, will undergo further track testing in the UK over the summer in readiness for passenger use in December.
Steve Timothy, from rolling stock operator Eversholt Rail, said the news represented “another major milestone” towards the trains’ introduction into passenger service.
