Rail Commuters in Manchester and the North West could soon find themselves travelling on refurbished London Underground trains.

Vivarail have struck a deal with Transport for London to acquire 150 driving motor cars and about 300 vehicles of ex-District Line stock, with plans to form 75 units of two, three or potentially four-car trains.

Vivarail Ltd. was formed in 2012 to produce a new type of rolling stock designed specifically for local rail services

They hope to offer the rolling stock to potential new franchisees for the Northern train routes.

The RMT Union has described the trains as cast offs but VivaRail says they are less than ten years old

Vivarail says: “D-Trains are much more than London’s cast-offs. Instead they offer a new concept in sustainable travel for local rail services, with a first-class engineering pedigree.

They add that the converted trains will provide significant environmental benefits. The diesel engines meet the latest EU emission standards, and energy consumption and noise are minimised due to the “stop-start” engine technology and the trains’ light weight.

They have recently taken delivery of the first of the trains for conversation at their central England depot.

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