Merseytravel revealed new £460m fleet of trains - with no guards
Merseytravel have revealed a new £460m fleet of trains - which will have no guards
Merseytravel have revealed a new £460m fleet of trains - which will have no train guards
They'll be replacing the current line which has been in use for 40 years.
Merseytravel say the new trains will be longer and be able to carry 60% more passengers.
They will also be faster and will allow Merseytravel to extend it's operations beyond the current network. It's hoped that will include places like Wrexham, Skelmersdale and Warrington
It means that the 220 current guard posts will go, though more than 60 customer service roles will be created as a result
Merseytravel say the new trains will be longer and be able to carry 60% more passengers. They will also be faster and will allow Merseytravel to extend it;s operations beyond the current network. It's hoped that will include places like Wrexham, Skelmersdale and Warrington
It means that the 220 current guard posts will go, though more than 60 customer service roles will be created as a result
Councillor Liam Robinson, Chair of the Merseytravel Committee:
"These new trains will be fit for the future, safer, and faster and at no aditional cost to the passengers or council tax payers. It's a must do project and the benefits are clear"
"That's not to say that we're not sensitive to the staffing implications of such a decision - In an ideal world we'd like to have a second member of staff on every train to ensure the highest level of customer service, but there aren't the resources to do that"
The first trains are set to be rolled out on the network by the end of 2020, but the RMT Union are against the plans
John Tilley who's the RMT regional organiser said "We had an incident only two months ago where a guard safely evacuated a train that had hit a car on a level crossing. Those things go on day in day out and the guards know that's how you operate a safe network"