https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...thern-rail-pacers-greater-manchester-15686404
Northern Rail are finally bringing in more trains for passengers... but they're second-hand Pacers shunted over from the North-East.
In a bid to make up the shortfall of carriages which has led to chronic overcrowding on the tracks around Greater Manchester, Northern is about to boost its fleet of - largely unpopular - Pacers.
The call is bound to court controversy among passengers who were promised a phased reduction in the Pacer, also known as the 'nodding donkey' or 'cattle truck'.
Constructed from a bus body attached to a freight train base and built in the 1980s with an intended life-span of 20 years, the operator is still running more than 100 of these rumbling beasts.
They make up 26pc of the 397-strong fleet but Northern has promised their removal by 2020.
However, it looks like passengers reeling from a fresh fare increase are in fact set to be gifted more Pacers before there are less, albeit on a temporary basis.
They will be used to 'temporarily' bolster services in the north ahead of the delivery of brand new trains in the spring.
Northern was unable to tell the M.E.N how many extra Pacers would be moved over, although the North-East is set to receive eight refurbished Sprinters......
.....In Tyne, Tees and Wear - about to receive the refurbished Sprinters - short-forming affected 35 trains or 0.9pc of services.
Mr Chandarana, stakeholder manager, said Network Rail's delayed infrastructure had to led to an 'horrendous' shortage of trains.
This meant their plans for new electric stock had been delayed and as they had already passed on many diesel trains to other operators, led to a lack of carriages. They have tried to plug the gap by borrowing trains, but a shortage remains.
This has been exacerbated by autumnal weather, leading to wheel flats, as well as a programme of refurbishment of 400 existing trains - which Northern are tied into by their franchise agreement.
As a result, the phasing out of the much-maligned Pacers has also been delayed, although the commitment to get rid of them by 2020 still stands.
A spokesman for Northern said: “Manchester and the wider north west will, from spring, start to benefit from the introduction of our brand new trains.
"On some routes in the region, from spring, we will also introduce the first of our Flex trains – new dual fuel units which can run on electrified and non-electrified lines.
“As part of improvements we are making across the Northern network, we will soon be introducing additional Class 158 trains in the north east.
“Our brand new trains will not be used in the north east, with this region instead benefitting from the introduction of refurbished Class 158s.
“The Pacers being replaced by the Class 158s will be used selectively across the north of England to help ease overcrowding for a limited period until they are retired later in the year.”
“Later this year we will deliver more than £600m of investment including 98 new trains that will include air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and at seat power sockets for customers. By the end of 2019 we will also retire our Pacers."