RAIL operator Northern has announced it has now refurbished more than half of its trains as its 123rd refurbished carriage set came into service.

The Class 170 went into service in the West Yorkshire area with a new livery, refreshed seating and new lighting, as well as free customer Wi-Fi and at-seat power points.

Northern ­— which operates the East Lancashire Line from Preston through Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and Colne as well as services to Manchester ­— promised these features will be installed on all of Northern’s trains in the future.

The company’s engineering director Ben Ackroyd promised that new trains, including the replacements for the Pacer units, would start to be introduced in the spring as 2,000 extra services were added to its network.

He added: “The refurbishment of our trains is a massive programme of work and a huge investment for Northern and to reach a milestone of 50 per cent is great news.”