£60m investment announced in brand new fleet of trains for Yorkshire city

Hull Trains’s brand new fleet will be built by Hitachi at its new manufacturing and assembly plant at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, it was announced this morning.

The fleet will be increased from four to five, increasing the number of seats overall by 50 per cent.

The AT300 trains, which have five carriages each and can run on diesel and electricity, will also be potentially faster - although it looks increasingly likely that the electrification of the section of track between Hull and Selby will be delayed further.

However the trains will be able to travel on the electrified track to London King’s Cross for the first time.

Jon Plowright, Head of Engineering at Hull Trains says: “These Bi-Mode trains will bring the benefits of electrification to our region, ensuring that Hull and the East Riding remains competitive and connected to the capital in the long term.

“Our maintenance contract with Hitachi also secures the services of our existing maintenance team, securing nine jobs for our region.”

Adam Fowler, from the City of Hull and Humber Environment Forum, said: “This is fantastic news.

“It is a shot in the arm for the region and it is the culmination of years of hard work by local businesses, councillors and Hull trains.

“The benefit goes much further than providing a service to London. It is about image and perception and putting the city on the map. If you look at the rest of Yorkshire they all have good rail links, and it is very important we keep up with that.”

The train operator said the plans included a £750,000 investment to improve on-board service, including enhancements to first class and buffet catering facilities.