Eversholt Rail announces that it has signed contracts with Arriva Rail North Limited and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF, S.A) to procure and finance 281 new vehicles worth £490 million for the new Northern rail franchise.

The order is made up of 31 x 3-car and 12 x 4-car Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and 25 x 2-car and 30 x 3-car Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), with all vehicles scheduled to enter service by December 2019.

The new rolling stock is based on CAF’s Civity platform. The fleet of trains will run on the new Northern franchise linking major towns and cities in the north of England.

Mary Kenny, Chief Executive Officer of Eversholt Rail Group, said: “We are delighted to be supporting CAF and Arriva Rail North with the supply of this new rolling stock for the new Northern rail franchise. These new trains will bring much-needed improvements in comfort and capacity for passengers on this important part of the network and we look forward to working with our partners to bring them into service.”

Chris Burchell, Managing Director of Arriva’s UK Trains Division, said: “We are delighted to partner with CAF and Eversholt Rail to meet the high specification and demanding timetable for delivery of the new rolling stock. I hope that today’s announcement once again makes clear our determination to deliver on our promises to passengers.”

Antonio Campos CAF, S.A. International Commercial Director for Western Europe said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for CAF to consolidate its position as one of the leading manufacturers of trains within the very competitive UK market. CAF is delighted to be working with Arriva Rail North and Eversholt Rail Group to provide high quality, cost effective and highly reliable trains for the people throughout Northern England. These trains will provide an improved travelling experience for regular rail passengers.”