The UK government announced yesterday that a new a deal with First Trans Pennine Express Limited will see state of the art highspeed trains on cross-border routes, extra services from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Motherwell to the north of England and free and improved Wi-Fi on trains and at stations.
A spokeswoman from the Department for Transport explained that there will be two extra services from Lockerbie each day, in each direction – north to Glasgow or Edinburgh, and south to Manchester or Liverpool – by December 2017.
She said: “The final destinations will be decided by the operator in due course when they confirm their timetables. “These will be brand new, longer, state of the art electric trains.”
Other improvements set to be rolled out from as early as April 2016 include discounted fares for 16 to 18 year olds and job seekers and speedier travel with trains going speeds up to 125 miles per hour.
Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell is thrilled with the announcement, but says there is still room for improvement.
He said: “I think this is really good news for Lockerbie. “This is a real step forward and we need to make sure that early morning stops and a late journey stop for shoppers or people enjoying city night life is offered.
“Lockerbie has been a victim of its own success in terms of overcrowding in carriages on its prime time trains so it’s also good to hear that more carriages will be available.”
UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin added: “We promised passengers in Scotland a world class crossborder rail service – and I’m delighted that we have found an operator that will deliver exactly that.
“First Trans Pennine Express Limited went far beyond our requirements with exciting, ambitious plans that will make a real difference to customers, and help Scotland and the north of England realise its full economic potential by ensuring it has a modern 21st century transport system.”
Mr Mundell will meet with rail representatives early next year to find out more about how Lockerbie will benefit from the investments
