As the next phase of their phased rollout on the Ormskirk line of the Merseyrail network gets underway, passengers travelling to and from this year’s Aintree Festival and Grand National will have the opportunity to ride on one of the new publicly owned trains in the Liverpool City Region.

Launching on Monday, April 10, passengers on the Ormskirk line will be able to ride the new trains after the fleet’s launch on the Kirkby line.

Prior to their wider introduction on the line in the upcoming weeks, some services going to and from Aintree are expected to be run by the new trains during the Grand National Festival.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“The day that passengers travelling on the Ormskirk line – including myself – have been waiting for is finally here and our new trains are ready to welcome them on board!

“We’ve been working tirelessly to make sure the roll out of our new trains goes as smoothly as possible – and I’m delighted that we’re on track to launch them on the Ormskirk line at the same time that we’re gearing up to host the Grand National.

“Visitors from around the world flock to our region for Aintree races every year and this is our chance to show them the very best that our area has to offer – including some of the best trains in the land.

“Designed in consultation with local people, they’re some of the most accessible and sophisticated in the entire country, with great new features like level access with sliding step technology, more room for bikes and wheelchairs, phone charging and Wi-Fi onboard.” 

The hi-tech trains are part of a £500m public investment designed around the needs of local passengers, which has made them the most accessible in the country, with more space for bikes, prams and wheelchairs, USB sockets for phone charging and real-time journey information.

The new trains webpage is full of information and will be kept up to date during the roll out of the fleet – you can find out more at www.merseytravel.gov.uk/newtrains

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