THE country’s biggest train operator has today said that from December four carriage electric trains will operate on the newly electrified Liverpool-Manchester railway.

The announcement by Northern Rail follows an agreement reached with the Department for Transport to introduce electric trains into the North West from December 2014.

The first of 14 Class 319 trains will operate on the inter city route from December with more scheduled to be introduced in 2015. The line is part of a £400million electrification programme for the North West and the trains will pick up passengers at Newton-le-Willows, St Helens Junction and Lea Green.

As well as being a 'greener' form of transport compared to diesel power the trains will provider a smoother ride for passengers.

Alex Hynes, Northern Rail’s managing director, said: “This is fantastic news for our customers. These electric trains will bring much needed extra capacity, more reliable and sustainable journeys. “More trains also bring job opportunities as we recruit more people to crew and maintain them.

“This is the first step to unlocking more capacity for customers across the north of England. We’re committed to continuing our work with our partners to campaign for more trains, better trains and electric trains for our customers.”

Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said: “This is great news for passengers and underlines our commitment to transform rail travel in the North. These electric trains will mean cleaner, quicker and more reliable journeys for thousands more passengers between Manchester and Liverpool. I look forward to further improvements as more trains are introduced.”