The director leading a major upgrade of the North’s trains says the plans will transform journeys across the region for millions of customers.

Northern, the UK’s second largest train operator, plans to buy up to 450 new trains in three phases.

James Howard, who recently became Northern’s director of new rolling stock programmes, has helped shape the ambitious business case, which must be approved by the government.

He said: “This will be a step change for the North.

“It will be the largest ever investment in our fleet, providing our customers with modern, reliable trains, and we are working to deliver them as quickly as possible.

“Getting to this point hasn’t been easy but that only fuels our desire to see it through.

“I fundamentally believe Northern needs these new trains and our customers deserve them.

“There has been significant investment in the infrastructure, with projects like the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), and we need modern trains to realise the benefits.”

Northern will introduce the trains in phases, starting with around 130 units.

The first will begin running early in the next decade, gradually replacing the oldest trains still in operation, many of which date back to the 1980s and 1990s.

Under current plans, about two-thirds of the fleet will be replaced over the next 10 years.

The new trains will be fully electric, battery-powered, or multi-modal, providing flexibility to operate on a changing, greener network.

They will first enter service on routes including York to Leeds and Huddersfield.

Northern is also prioritising accessibility, working to ensure level boarding on trains at compliant platforms, with a focus on both current and future upgrades.

The company is taking a selective approach to avoid a mixed fleet of too many train types, aiming for a standardised fleet.

Northern currently operates 11 different types of trains, which creates training and maintenance challenges.

Mr Howard first joined Northern in 2011 and returned to the company in 2018 after a period with Stagecoach.

Since 2020, he has been central to developing the operator’s rolling stock strategy.

Northern has invited manufacturers to submit final bids for the new trains, and the operator expects to award contracts by early 2027, with the first deliveries slated for 2030.

Northern runs 2,650 daily services to more than 500 stations across the North of England.