NORTHERN TRAINS Limited, the Government-backed operator of last resort set up to operate Northern, has issued an expression of interest for the procurement of up to 450 multiple units, which would be delivered in phases via an eight-year framework agreement.
The trains would replace existing ageing fleets, with Northern’s current oldest examples dating from 1984. Northern, which was nationalised in 2020, introduced a £500 million fleet of 58 Class 195 diesel multiple units and 43 Class 331 electric multiple units built by CAF from 2019.
According to a document published on August 4, the plan is for a single supplier to manufacture and supply the trains, with associated equipment, technical support and spares. It states that this will allow Northern to replace significant quantities of its older fleet, enabling the avoidance of escalating costs associated with the operation, maintenance, repair and leasing of an ageing fleet. The orders are set to be placed across multiple phases. A separate procurement process for an owner to purchase each fleet will be undertaken.
The document st
