FirstGroup has launched two new services over the last few days that consolidate the company’s leading role in transport across the north, offering customers a taster of the improvements that will be a key part of the Government’s Northern Powerhouse plans.
This weekend, FirstGroup launched its new TransPennine Express franchise at an event in Manchester Piccadilly station, while over in Leigh, Greater Manchester, local travellers boarded the first of the new Vantage busway services operated by First Bus.
Taking the north further
The new TransPennine Express franchise, which began on 1 April, will bring the north’s major towns and cities closer together by improving connectivity rates by 55 per cent. More than £500m will be invested in the franchise, including the provision of 220 brand new state of the art carriages that will offer intercity style comfort whilst also offering an 80 per cent increase in capacity at the busiest times of the day. This will provide the north’s major towns and cities with an additional 10,000 seats a day, new electric, diesel and bi-mode trains, and £20m plus will also be invested in upgrading the current Class 185 vehicles so that they also offer customers an outstanding intercity experience. 
Timetable improvements will see service frequency increased between Manchester and Leeds, and reintroduction of a direct service between Manchester Airport and Newcastle. During the franchise, a new three times daily service between Glasgow and Liverpool will be introduced, and Liverpool to Newcastle services extended to Edinburgh. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh will eventually be connected by 32 direct services a day, creating a true intercity network for the region.
A premium bus service unlike any other
On 3 April in Leigh in Greater Manchester, First Bus also welcomed the first passengers onto its luxury Vantage guided busway service. Operated by First Manchester, the fleet of 20 new, bespoke, state-of-the-art buses now connect the towns of Leigh and Atherton with Manchester in as little as 50 minutes via the North West’s first guided busway. The high-specification, low-emission hybrid buses have Wi-Fi and USB charging points, plush seating, audio/visual passenger information and climate control.
The Busway services are being delivered in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester, Wigan, Salford, and Manchester local authorities and First Manchester, providing premium services on the 14-mile route linking communities between Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Salford and Manchester. Busway services will be able to run free from congestion on a 4.5 mile guided section linking Leigh, Tyldesley and Ellenbrook providing smooth, rapid connections for passengers thanks to a concrete track. The scheme includes three park and ride sites in Leigh, Tyldesley and on the East Lancs Road that provide more than 400 free-to-use spaces for anyone continuing their journey by bus.
Tim O’Toole, Chief Executive of FirstGroup, said:
“Our investment in the North’s public transport will deliver modern, fast, efficient links that will bring people closer to the employment and economic growth opportunities that will help create the Northern Powerhouse.
“TransPennine Express will transform rail services across the region, resulting in faster and more frequent intercity connections between major towns and cities, keeping their communities and businesses prospering. Meanwhile, First Hull Trains just secured track access rights until 2029 and has the highest customer satisfaction rating of any operator in the country.
“Our bus services are essential to keep cities moving and we see more than a quarter of a billion customer journeys a year on our First Bus networks in the region, with initiatives such as the new Vantage busway in Manchester exemplifying our strong partnerships with transport authorities across the North.
“Through the new TransPennine Express franchise, First Bus and First Hull Trains we will work together and in partnership with local communities and stakeholders along our routes, to deliver faster, higher capacity, more integrated, and better quality services across our extensive rail and bus networks in the region.”
For further information on the new TransPennine Express franchise, visit www.tpexpress.co.uk/wherenext
To find out more about Vantage and the Greater Manchester Busway, visit www.firstgroup.com/vantage
To find out more about First Hull Trains, visit www.hulltrains.co.uk/about-us /
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North America and our services help to create strong, vibrant and sustainable local economies. During the last year around 2.4 billion people relied on us to get to work, to education, to visit family and friends and much more and, each day, every one of our 110,000 employees works hard to deliver vitally important services for our passengers.
Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world… keeping people moving and communities prospering.
First Bus
FirstGroup is one of Britain’s largest bus operators with around a fifth of bus services outside London. A fleet of some 6,300 buses carries approximately 1.7 million passengers a day in a huge number of communities including 40 of the UK's largest towns and cities. We operate some US-style yellow school buses and have a fleet of coaches available for charter. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Rail
FirstGroup is one of the most experienced rail operators in the UK and the only one to run every sort of railway - long distance, regional, commuter and sleeper operations. We carried more than 280 million passengers in 2014/15.
- We operate two passenger franchises – Great Western Railway (GWR) and TransPennine Express – and one open access operator, First Hull Trains.
- We operate the Tramlink network on behalf of Transport for London carrying more than 32 million passengers a year and the Heathrow Connect service in partnership with Heathrow Airport.
For more information about FirstGroup and our divisions please visit www.firstgroupplc.com