NEW diesel trains have entered service for Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Pendle.

Travellers along the East Lancashire are among the latest to benefit from the carriages, as the much-maligned Pacers are gradually phased out.

East Lancashire peer Lord Tony Greaves popularised the description of the Pacers as "buses on rails".

Their replacements will have air conditioning, at-seat charging and free wi-fi.

Real-time travel displays have also been incorporated into the service.

David Brown, operator Northern's managing director, said: "The introduction of these latest new trains - part of a £500m investment in rail in the North – means we have more than 50 per cent of our state-of-the-art fleet in service.

"This is great news for our customers and clearly demonstrates we are making real progress in transforming the service we provide."

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: "Northern civic leaders came together to say we deserve a better service here and took the step of joining with the-then government to decide what would be asked of our train companies. We agreed new trains should be introduced."