New trains cuts average age of rolling stock

New trains have reduced the average age of rolling stock on Britain’s railways, figures show.

Passenger trains were typically 19.2 years old on March 31, down 0.4 years compared with the same date in 2018, according to Office of Rail and Road data.

The reduction was driven by Caledonian Sleeper, Great Western Railway (GWR) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER).

Caledonian Sleeper began replacing its entire fleet in October 2018, bringing its average age down by 18.9 years.

GWR and LNER cut the average age of their rolling stock by 7.9 years and 5.4 years respectively as older trains were replaced as part of the Intercity Express Programme.

Merseyrail has the oldest trains in Britain, with rolling stock typically 39.3 years old.

New trains will be introduced by the firm next year as part of a £460 million investment.

A recent report by industry body the Rail Delivery Group stated that by 2025 more than 8,000 new train carriages will have entered service since 2017, which is equivalent to replacing half of the country’s trains.