Rotheram said: “This is a massive day, not just for our area, but for the entire country, as we launch the UK’s first publicly-owned trains in a generation into service for the first time. Alongside the work we’re doing on buses, active travel and integrated ticketing, we’re bringing our transport network into the 21st century.
“Designed in consultation with local people, they’re some of the most accessible and sophisticated in the entire country, with great new features like level access with sliding step technology, more room for bikes and wheelchairs, phone charging and Wi-Fi onboard.
“This half a billion pound investment shows the difference devolution makes. We’re charting our own course, putting the public back into public transport and delivering the services that our region’s 1.6m people deserve.”
The new trains are part of a phased rollout, with the Ormskirk line next to be introduced. The rest of the network across both the Northern and Wirral lines will follow later in the year.