Merseyrail is one of the most punctual and reliable rail networks in the UK, with consistently high scores for passenger satisfaction and national award wins for customer service. The self-contained network has some of the most affordable fares in the country and operates over 600 regular services per day, every 15 minutes, to 68 stations throughout the Liverpool City Region, including 4 underground stations in the city centre that receive services every few minutes. New state-of-the-art trains will arrive on the network in 2020 and replace the current 40 year old fleet of 59 fully refurbished electric trains. The network carries over 100,000 passengers on an average weekday, with its Liverpool Central station being one of the busiest outside of London. The operator has modernised significantly in recent years, launching trials for its Smart ticketing scheme in 2017, refurbishing its underground city centre stations in the last 5 years, opening a new station (Maghull North) on the network in June 2018 and re-opening Ainsdale station in July 2018 after extensive refurbishment that has seen it become Merseyrail’s most eco-friendly station. Merseyrail Electrics (2002) is a 50/50 joint venture company between Serco and Abellio, which has a 25 year concession agreement with Merseytravel, the transport authority in Merseyside. The concession started on 20 July 2003, with review dates every five years. 1,200 people work at Merseyrail.