Pacer trains that ‘should be in museums’ now expected to be running until 2020 Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has criticised Northern rail

Northern looks set to continue to use its much-derided Pacer trains in 2020, despite pledging to replace them with a new £500m fleet by the end of this year.

The rail firm’s Pacer trains, called “buses on train wheels” by disgruntled commuters, have been in operation since the 1980s, and were designed to have a lifespan of 20 years. Some still running are thought to be 34 years old.

Northern will begin rolling out their replacement stock on Monday, but bosses said design faults to the new trains means a “small number” of Pacers may still be in service going into 2020.

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Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said it is “unacceptable” that passengers still have to travel in “museum pieces”.

“We have repeatedly been told they will be off our rails by the end of the year and it now looks like they will still be screeching and trundling across the North into next year,” he told the Sunday Times.

“This delay is yet another broken promise to people of the North.

“But what is worse is the fact that Northern will fall foul of new laws on disability access next year as a result.”

Northern, which is owned by Arriva Rail North, was due to put nine of its new trains in service from 1 July. The company said it has been “working hard” to scrap the remaining Pacers by December.

The company also said the final date was “under review”, and added in a statement: “At the start of the year, we identified a small mechanical design issue [in the new fleet] that required a fix.”

Never used in London

The trains use a modified bus body and are still used by Northern, Great Western Railway, and Transport for Wales. Many resent the fact they have only been used in the North, South West, and never in London or the South East.

Pacers are typically used as connecting modes of transport in rural areas, and to provide links between towns and cities. They have a top speed of 75mph and squeak when turning round sharp bends.

The first of Northern’s fleet is expected to be retired in August, and the entire stock was set to go by the end of 2019.

The Department for Transport said: “Due to delays in manufacturing of new trains, a small number of Pacers may continue on the network into the beginning of the new year.”