The Department for Transport has officially signed the Northern and TransPennine Express contracts.
The Northern franchise has been formally signed with Arriva Rail North Ltd. and the TransPennine Express franchise with First Trans Pennine Express Ltd.
The deals will help bring the Northern Powerhouse to life, with 500 brand new modern carriages, room for 40,000 more passengers, 2,000 extra services a week and a host of improvements.
The Department for Transport today (23 December 2015) confirmed it has officially signed the Northern franchise 9-year contract with Arriva Rail North Ltd and the TransPennine Express franchise 7-year contract with First Trans Pennine Express Limited.
The deals provide an unprecedented package of improvements, bringing about the biggest transformation to rail journeys in the north of England and Scotland in decades.