London Northwestern Railway marks first anniversary of Class 730/2 fleet

London Northwestern Railway (LNR) is celebrating one year of passenger service for its Class 730/2 trains, with the fleet having carried millions of passengers since entering operation in June 2025.

The electric trains, built by Alstom in the UK, were introduced on 9 June last year and have since become a key part of LNR’s services to and from London Euston. The fleet consists of 36 five-car units, providing a total of 180 carriages and increasing capacity on the operator’s busiest routes by around 20%.

The introduction of the trains has formed a major part of LNR’s fleet modernisation programme, replacing older rolling stock and delivering additional capacity across the West Coast Main Line commuter network.

According to the operator, the rollout has also coincided with improved passenger satisfaction scores. Customer satisfaction on services operating along the Trent Valley Line has increased by 20%, while routes between Northampton and London Euston have recorded a 10% rise in satisfaction levels, with passengers highlighting the trains’ spacious interiors and modern facilities.

The completion of the fleet introduction has also enabled LNR to expand services following the national timetable changes introduced in May. The operator says the additional capacity now provides around 42,000 extra seats every week on services serving Euston.

The Class 730/2 fleet operates on a number of key routes, including services linking London Euston with Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Tring.

To mark the fleet's first anniversary, London Northwestern Railway has launched a promotional ticket offer, making thousands of tickets available at half price through its mobile app for journeys booked before 21 June and travelled by 31 July.

Jonny Wiseman, Customer Experience Director at London Northwestern Railway, said:

“These modern electric trains have made a massive difference for the millions of commuter and leisure passengers who travel on our services to and from London Euston every year.

“It’s fantastic to see how our customer satisfaction scores have risen since their introduction 12 months ago and we look forward to building on the success of the fleet as we move towards an integrated publicly owned railway.”

The Class 730/2 trains form part of a wider programme of rail investment aimed at modernising passenger services, improving reliability and increasing capacity across some of the UK's busiest commuter and regional routes.

As the fleet enters its second year of operation, LNR says the trains will continue to play a central role in meeting growing demand for rail travel while supporting the ongoing transformation of services on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.