Judging panel for ‘Transform a Pacer’ competition announced

Pete Waterman, famed record producer and rail enthusiast, is one of five judges announced this week for the Department for Transport’s (DfT) ‘Transform a Pacer’ competition. The competition, which launched in July 2019, marks the retirement of Pacers from the railway network.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/128088/ideas-wanted-to-breathe-new-life-into-old-pacer-trains

Community groups across the North have been invited to submit plans and ideas for how an old Pacer carriage could be converted into a vibrant public space. From a café to a yoga studio, the DfT is opening the floor to ideas on how the Pacer carriages could be renovated to continue to serve communities.

The winning proposals will see three Pacer carriages, donated by rolling stock company Porterbrook, installed ready for transformation.

Pete Waterman will be joined by industry experts and rail enthusiasts, a community engagement and sustainability expert and a local politician in deciding the winner.

The panel judging entries includes:

• Pete Waterman (Head Judge)
• Tim Dunn (Railway enthusiast, historian, broadcaster and presenter of Trainspotting Live)
• Mary Grant (the CEO of railways rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook)
• Jools Townsend (Chief Executive of The Association of Community Rail Partnerships - ACoRP)
• Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland

Rail entrepreneur and judging panel Chair Pete Waterman said: “This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for community groups to actively engage with the rail network to make a difference to their local areas.

“I’m delighted to be chairing the judging panel to oversee the proposals put forward ensuring they are realistic, credible and provide a real benefit to wider northern communities”.

To celebrate the role of the Pacers, Northern has also produced a toolkit for schools, and is running an art competition for pupils to encourage them to think creatively about how the Pacer carriages can be refurbished.

Northern have started to retire some of their Pacer fleet and is rapidly rolling out £500m worth of investment in new and refurbished trains, which will deliver more frequent services, comfortable seats and improved accessibility.

Most of Northern’s Pacer trains will be out of passenger service by the start of 2020.

It comes as part of a significant investment by both government, Network Rail and train operators as part of the Great North Rail Project to transform the national rail network, delivering more than 4,500 new carriages to UK passengers.

The Department for Transport is investing £13 billion through to 2020 to transform transport across the region and between 2019 and 2024, the government will invest around £3 billion in additional funding to upgrade the Transpennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York to deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys with more seats. The Prime Minister has also announced his backing for a new Manchester to Leeds line.

The ‘Transform a Pacer’ competition closes on 30 September 2019.

For more information about entering, please visit: 

• www.gov.uk/government/publications/pacer-competition-application-form-and-guidelines