Northern has completed its ‘digital train’ programme following 183,000 hours of work and the installation of 725 kilometres of electric cable.
This three-year, multi-million-pound project aims to improve onboard technology for passengers on rail services in the North of England.
Upon its completion, the older trains in Northern’s fleet now have the same digital features as the 101 new trains that were introduced from 2019 to 2021.
In total, 233 trains have been fitted with Wi-Fi, HD CCTV cameras, live passenger information screens, passenger counting technology and 17,200 USB charging sockets.
The upgraded trains include Northern’s Class 150, Class 155, Class 156, Class 158 and Class 170 diesel units along its Class 323 and Class 333 electric trains.
“We’re thrilled to see the final ‘digital train’ come off the production line. This has been an epic, three-year project delivered against a backdrop of COVID-19 lockdowns and the team deserves a huge credit for keeping at it and getting us to this point.
“Customers across the network can now enjoy enhanced digital facilities on their journeys.”
To complete this work, the team has used 510,00 nuts and bolts, 4,000 circuit relays, 6,800 circuit breakers, 1,200 antenna mounting plates and 725 kilometres of electric cable.
