Northern retires first Pacer

12th August 2019

Today saw a landmark on the Northern network as 142005 has been officially retired after 32 years of service. 142005 entered service on 20 February 1987 and has travelled over 3 million miles in it's lifetime, the final duties for the unit was to carry passengers between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.

Northern are in the process of introducing 101 brand new trains in a £500m investment to transform travel around the North. The company are also investing a further £80m to refurbish and improve the quality of Northern’s remaining fleet. 142005 is the first of many Pacers marked for retirement, this will be done on a phased basis in the coming months.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:

“I am delighted to see the start of the Pacer trains retiring from the Northern network. This is a milestone moment for passengers in the north, as part of our commitment to delivering more comfortable, frequent and reliable journeys. We are now starting to see brand new, comfortable, modern trains in their place, alongside the 2,000 extra services a week that have already been delivered.”

David Brown, Managing Director at Northern, said:

“The Northern network is busier than it has been for a generation – more than 100 million customer journeys will be made on Northern services in 2019 – and the introduction of new trains and the retirement of the Pacers is at the heart of our transformation for customers. We have 15 brand new trains carrying customers, with 91 more to come throughout 2019 and into 2020. In all, we will introduce 101 new trains, a £500m investment in rail in the North. These fantastic new trains will give our customers a genuine step-change in journey experience.”

David Sidebottom, Director at Transport Focus said:

"Passengers won’t be sorry to see these outdated and uncomfortable trains depart for retirement. Pacers have become a potent symbol for the need to invest in better transport infrastructure across the North. Their replacements cannot arrive too soon, though it’s now equally important that the railway improves punctuality and reliability of services, so passengers see every possible benefit from each new train.”

Author: Darren Porter
Image: Northern