In a move that will delight anyone who has ever stood on a windswept northern platform contemplating the void, No 10 has announced a new fleet of battery-powered trains that will "bring faster, more reliable journeys to the north." Because nothing says "levelling up" like a promise delivered via rolling stock that won't exist for another decade.

The 29 new trains, to be operated by TransPennine Express, will be built at Alstom's Litchurch Lane works in Derby starting in 2028, a detail the government says will support 350 local jobs, plus nearly 6,000 across the UK. That's 6,000 people who can now look forward to explaining to their grandchildren what a train is.

The fleet consists of Adessia Stream trains, a battery-powered model that will be the first of its kind used for long-distance mainline journeys in the UK when it enters service in 2034. Yes, 2034. Feel free to pencil that in, ideally in something more permanent than pencil.

Prime minister Andy Burnham, who regularly uses trains to move between London and Manchester, highlighted the need for more reliable and efficient services. The new trains are being pitched as making journeys between major northern cities shorter while increasing capacity on rail networks by 30% in the next decade. Thirty percent more room to stand awkwardly near the toilet, presumably.

Burnham said: "I've lost count of the number of times someone has stopped me to tell me about the train that never came. And when that happens, it means missed shifts, missed appointments and missed opportunities." He added: "Today that starts to change. These 29 new trains will bring faster, more reliable journeys to the north, and thousands of British jobs for the next generation." He also said it was "exactly what Great British Railways is all about - taking back control of the basics and getting Britain believing again." Belief, notably, is not yet available on the Adessia Stream's onboard wifi.

Beyond speed and capacity, the new trains are set to run without emissions even on non-electrified stretches of the network, while also offering more accessible step-free boarding and onboard wifi. So at least when you're stranded somewhere outside York, you can tweet about it.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander praised the announcement, calling it a sign of how Great British Railways "will deliver better journeys for people while backing British business" and allowing passengers to "wave goodbye to overcrowded, delayed diesel trains and step onboard faster electric trains which are fit for the future." The diesel trains, for their part, have not yet commented, but are understood to be relieved.