A NEW £500m fleet of modern trains is due to enter service in Bolton in spring of this year, Northern has confirmed.

The stock, including 58 diesel trains and 43 electric trains, began testing in October 2018 and was originally expected to enter service towards the end of last year.

However, delays to the electrification programme, amid other issues, means the majority of the fleet will not be seen on tracks until spring of this year, likely around the time of the May 2019 timetable change.

Unlike the Class 319 trains, which were introduced on Bolton’s rail lines this week, the new fleet will never have operated in any other area and was made by Spanish manufacturer CAF specifically for use in the North of England.

David Brown, Northern’s managing director, claimed the fleet would mean a “step-change” in quality for customers, with features such as free customer Wi-Fi, air conditioning, at-seat power and seat reservation systems.

The stock is a mix of two, three and four carriage units, which provide more seating and standing room than the current trains used in Bolton.

The electric trains are also quieter and more environmentally friendly, as well as being capable of accelerating more rapidly to cut travel time between stations.

Rail companies generally do not own the trains they operate, and in this case the new fleet is the property of Eversholt Rail — the giant firm also owns around a third of the UK’s rail stock.

In comparison, the Class 319 trains introduced in Bolton this week are around 30 years old.

The stock first entered service on inter-city London routes in two batches between 1987 and 1990.

However, after train operator Thameslink received a new fleet in 2015, the 319s were cascaded to both Northern and West Midlands Trains where they have been operated on a number of routes.

The stock which can now be seen in Bolton was mostly used to run services between Manchester and Liverpool, a line which has been electrified for a number of years.