Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Pacer trains are due to be in operation on 1 January 2020; and on which routes those trains are planned to be in operation on that date.

Our absolute priority is ensuring passengers in the north benefit from new trains, more services and increased capacity as quickly as possible.

Northern retired the first of its 102 Pacers in August and it plans to remove two thirds by December 2019. Northern advises that, subject to receiving appropriate dispensation, up to 34 (11 Class 142 and 23 Class 144) Pacers will remain in the fleet for a short time into 2020 to cover the delay in delivery of new trains into the franchise. If these trains were not allowed to continue in the fleet, then a large number of services would need to be cancelled and causing disruption for passengers across the North. Northern’s current plan is to remove all 142s by February 17, 2020 and to remove 144s by May 17, 2020.

The Pacers will operate mainly in South Yorkshire including Sheffield to Gainsborough Central, Huddersfield and Doncaster as well as areas of West Yorkshire and Manchester.