Rail the top choice for World Car Free Day participants this Friday

And with electric trains the top choice for those making the switch, Northern’s fleet of over 100 – introduced in 2019 at a cost of over £500m – are set to take centre stage.

Hybrid (diesel/battery) and diesel trains also made the top five alternative forms of transport, ensuring all of Northern’s 345 trains has a role to play on the big day.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer for Northern, said: “World Car Free Day is an important initiative to encourage all of us to re-think the way we travel.

“We welcome around 95 million customers on-board our trains every year – the CO₂e emission saving of which is extremely significant.”

Meanwhile, a study has revealed as many as 81% of people across the North of England are willing to make changes to the way they live and work if it helps reduce the effects of global climate change.

Williams added: “Getting to work, whatever your work patterns are, is an area where we can make the biggest impact. Commuters already represent the biggest proportion of our customers – but there’s always more we can do to help convince others to join them and choose rail to travel to their place of work.

“We’re investing in more cycle storage facilities, introducing convenience features such as InPost lockers and delivering an on-going programme of station improvements to waiting rooms, accessible toilets and vending machines to improve the customer experience.”

Everyone can check the CO₂e emission impact of their commute via the ‘Savings Calculator’ on the Northern website. All calculations are made using Government conversion factors. Environmental data regarding Northern’s fleet of trains is validated each year by an external auditor.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.