A NEW business class could soon be in place on regional commuter trains, it was revealed today.

And it will mean two-tier fares for the first time on trains operated by York-based Regional Railways North East (RRNE).

The news came as the company revealed the first of its TransPennine Express trains to have a complete interior refit in a £10 million refurbishment package.

TransPennine Express operates through York and Leeds to and from major cities in the north- east and north-west.

The newly-refurbished train was on view at York station this morning, and features one special section with table lamps, a higher standard of seating and power points for laptop computer users.

Asked if the company was planning to introduce a business class, an RRNE spokesman said: "That's what it's leading up to. We would probably need to have the whole fleet of 38 upgraded before considering any alterations in the fare structure. Any alterations would not be immediate."

The Evening Press reported on Monday that both GNER and RRNE had said they could not afford to invest in new rolling stock to combat overcrowding unless the life of their franchises was extended.

The improved trains feature new seats throughout, plus new toilets and air conditioning. The rest of the fleet will be revamped over the next 18 months. Managing director Paul Davidson said: "We are concentrating on what customers told us they wanted and we are sure they will be delighted with this upgrade. This major investment programme is good news for our customers and for the region as a whole."

RRNE is the first of the former Regional Railways companies to carry out such a sweeping refit of an entire class of trains.

Mr Davison said: "We plan to introduce a class which is slightly upmarket where people can work in a quiet environment, not necessarily business people, and one of the reasons for a prototype is to try to develop a fare structure that meets our customers' needs.

"It is partly in response to a feeling that we don't attract enough business and leisure class travel. At the right sort of levels there's an unfulfilled market for a higher class of service."

In response to the overcrowding issue Mr Davison said: "Not all our trains are overcrowded. Off peak we have quite a lot of capacity and we still want to attract more passengers."

David Judson, manager of TransPennine Express, pointed out that the overcrowding problem applied to local services in West Yorkshire, not to the TransPennine Express service.

"TransPennine Express is a very successful service," he said.

"Behind the scenes there's a lot of extra work going on to make the service more efficient and meet the demands from the existing fleet."

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