MORE electric trains will travel through St Helens after the country's biggest train operator added more to its fleet.

Northern Rail has eight more trains in service in the North West, taking the total number operating to 10.

Electric services were launched in March of this year with the first two of its Class 319 trains travelling on the newly electrified route between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport.

The introduction of the additional trains comes alongside the completion of the next phase of route electrification to Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western and means that the majority of services between Liverpool, Wigan and Manchester will be provided by electric trains.

According to the company, the trains are the latest additions to a total of 20 which will eventually service the North West for Northern Rail.

Alex Hynes, managing director for Northern Rail, said: “These additional services are another step towards bringing a fully electrified service to the North West.

"Northern is committed to delivering a great customer experience and our investment in these trains demonstrates how important that is to us.

“With more trains and services being added throughout 2015, more and more customers are set to benefit from more seats, a fresh new look and improved customer information on our electric services.”