Opportunity to experience the future of train travel
PEOPLE from across the region are invited to experience new state-ofthe-art trains coming to the Merseyrail network by 2020.
A realistic, full-scale mockup of one of the train carriages will be on public view in Wirral and Liverpool city centre.
The detailed and lifelike replica train is fully interactive, with working doors and an automatic sliding step which will bridge the gap between the train and platform edge, making the network more accessible to all users – including wheelchair users.
Visitors will be able to walk along the open and spacious aisles, try the new wider seats and even take a look inside the driver’s cab.
Staff will be on hand to talk through the features of the new trains, designed and built by Swiss company Stadler. These features – chosen with the input and guidance of residents and rail network users – include phone charging points and bike racks.
The mock-up trains will be on display at: ● Pacific Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1LJ: October 1-14, Monday to Sunday, 8am-5.30pm, Tuesday, 8am-7.30pm; ● Liverpool Lime Street, L1 1JD: November 5-18, Monday to Sunday, 7am-6.30pm.
More information can be found at the following link: merseytravel.gov.uk/newtrains
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, said: “It is fantastic news that our train mock-up will be heading across the water in the next two weeks and to Lime Street in November. Before the new trains were designed and ordered, we asked the public what features they would like to see on them. We listened – and because of this – by 2020 we will see the most sophisticated trains in the country arrive on our network.
“They will be more accessible, equipped with 21st-century necessities such as wi-fi and air conditioning, and most ● importantly they will give our economy an annual boost worth tens of millions of pounds. This is an exciting opportunity for people to have a sneak peek at our new trains before they arrive – and I would encourage anyone who is a regular train user – and those who aren’t – to go and have a look while they have the chance.”
Managing director of Merseyrail, Andy Heath, said: “The mock-up is a very realistic replica of what passengers can expect from the new state-of- the-art trains. I would encourage the public and all of our passengers to visit the mockup so they can really appreciate the sense of space, new features and modern look and feel that we can all look forward to enjoying from 2020.”
A long-running industrial dispute was sparked ahead of the introduction of the new trains because they were designed to be driver-only operations. This threatened the jobs of more than 200 guards sparking strike action which gained public support because of fears around passenger safety.
The dispute is hopefully on the way to being resolved, after Merseyrail accepted there will be a second member of staff on board, with no guards to lose their jobs, although there is a suggestion this could mean fare increases. And the design of the new trains still proposes “the door control and dispatch of the trains will transfer to the driver”. Talks are continuing to thrash out the details.