FOUR trains an hour will run fromYork to Leeds and Manchester - instead of the current three - under a new First TransPennine Express timetable launched tomorrow.

The company says York passengers will also benefit from two trains an hour to Liverpool instead of one, and more capacity on journeys to and from Leeds in the morning and evening peaks.

A spokesman said it had invested £60 million in a fleet of 10 new electric trains operating between Manchester and Scotland, which would allow for the current diesel fleet to be re-deployed from there to across the rest of the network, meaning an extra 90,000 seats a week.

Managing director Nick Donovan said tomorrow marked the culmination of a two- year programme of new trains development that would improve passenger capacity and the customer experience.

“The biggest piece of feedback we receive from customers is the need to improve capacity and I am delighted that the new timetable will mean we will be able to offer an additional 90,000 seats a week across our network," he said.

“It is great news for York with more capacity, improved service frequency and additional journey options to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool."

A spokesman said the timetable change would deliver 50 per cent of the Government’s capacity specification for the north of England and signalled the start of delivery of a number of huge investment projects, with over a billion pounds being injected into the railway in the north.

"This investment includes the electrification of much of the railway, the upgrading of infrastructure and major station development."