A NEW dawn of high-tech train travel in Barrow has begun.

A short ceremony at Barrow Station saw mayor Kevin Hamilton, Barrow MP John Woodcock and representatives from Northern come together to wave off the new train’s first official direct line from Furness to Manchester Airport.

Nine new trains will offer passengers a first-class, spacious journey, featuring free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and an improved seat reservation system.

Northern regional director Chris Jackson said: “Barrow now has five more services travelling directly to Manchester Airport, providing a total of eleven.

“Connectivity wise, the new-age trains will provide a second-to-none journey for passengers.

“These trains will tick a lot of sustainability boxes in Cumbria."

Northern have been working closely with the community rail partnership, which is part of Cumbria County Council.

“And it’s not just the trains which we’ve invested in, we’ve given stations across Cumbria a facelift,” added Mr Jackson.

“We’ve improved safety within the station through better lighting and enhanced mixed-ability access to meet the needs of all of our passengers.”

The new trains are part of Northern’s £500 million investment to improve transport.

Northern said it has ordered 101 new trains making up a £500m investment, and following the introduction of the first nine new trains yesterday, the rest will be introduced at monthly intervals through 2019 and into 2020.

Barrow is one of the first towns in the UK to see the new rolling stock carried out.

Mr Jackson added: “Regarding jobs, across the west and central areas of the UK, we’ve introduced new drivers, who are receiving full training - with more drivers to come.

“This project is an accumulation of three-and-half years of hard work.

“It’s a milestone for Cumbria.”

Dawn McGough, community rail manager, said: “These news trains are less noisy and they run on (hybrid) electricity as opposed to the old rolling stock which ran on (completely) diesel - reducing pollution levels.

“I think the most important aspect of this process is that drivers have been involved throughout the consultation programme, resulting with the control system designed to their specification.

“Overall, a happier driver will lead to happier customers.”

Barrow MP John Woodcock said: "The Furness people deserve a modern train service.

We have listened to the pains of passengers and staff members and we’re confident these modern trains will make a genuinely quality journey. This is a wonderful day."

Mayor Kevin Hamilton said: “It’s wonderful to see and I do need to thank the Cumbria County Council which supplied £30,000 to speed up this process.”