Additional Pacer trains to be brought in to ease overcrowding

Castleton train station

Northern Rail are bringing in more Pacer trains from the North East to help ease the chronic overcrowding on trains in and around Greater Manchester.

A spokesman for Northern said: “As part of improvements we are making across the Northern network, we will soon be introducing additional Class 158 trains in the North East.

“The Pacer trains we have previously operated in this area will be temporarily used to strengthen services on other routes across the north of England.

“Later this year we will deliver more than £600m of investment including 98 new trains that will include air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and at seat power sockets for customers. By the end of 2019 we will also retire our Pacers.”

Pacer trains were built between 1980 and 1987 from old Leyland Motors bus frame mounted on train wheels. They were intended as a temporary stopgap to make up for a shortage of rolling stock, with a maximum lifespan of 20 years.

A spokesperson for ‘Support the Rochdale Oldham Manchester rail lines’ (STORM) said: “STORM has for many years held the view that most passengers would rather have a seat on a Pacer than stand up on a ‘short formed’ service of only two carriages. 

“The Pacers are soon to be withdrawn to comply with disabled access and at present on the Rochdale line Pacers are coupled to a two-carriage train which has been refurbished with accessible toilets and wheelchair space. 

“The Pacers from the North East are of better quality than those operating on our line, so using them to make a two coach into a four coach train is welcomed by STORM.”