‘Technical challenges’ spoil train’s first outing

A NEW faster train set to travel between South Wales and London caused commuter mayhem yesterday – thanks to a fault on its first outing.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns were both on board when the Hitachi bi-mode Intercity Express train suffered a 41-minute delay and faulty air conditioning.

The £5.7bn fleet of hybrid trains are designed to replace the existing InterCity 125 trains as part of the UK Government’s Intercity Express Programme.

Passengers have been promised the trains will be faster, more modern, with increased capacity, greater comfort and better connectivity. But there were embarrassing problems on its maiden outing when the first service from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington broke down in Taplow, Berkshire, causing massive delays.

The 6am service from Bristol blocked the fast lane due to what engineers called a “minor technical fault”. After leaving the city’s Temple Meads station 25 minutes late due to another fault the train left Reading where it was set to switch from diesel to electric overhead wires at Maidenhead.

But it came to a grinding halt, leaving Mr Cairns and other executives stranded on board until the problem was fixed.

After a total of almost two and a half hours the maiden service arrived in London 120 miles away – averaging 50 miles per hour on the trip – more than 40 minutes late, which would see normal commuters entitled to compensation. During the journey passengers also reported a leak from an air conditioning unit.

The first service back to South Wales – the 8.15am to Cardiff – was then cancelled, much to the disappointment of rail enthusiasts.

A GWR spokesman said: “Unfortunately, the train was delayed this morning due to a minor technical matter that was quickly resolved at the depot.

“These trains have been running successfully on UK tracks for over two years and recently passed the industry standard 5,000 miles running without a fault.

“Hitachi will be investigating this matter thoroughly.”

Hitachi said in a statement: “The Bristol to London service experienced a few technical challenges, for which we apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused.

“We are of course disappointed with an issue with this train’s air conditioning and water ingress in one of the carriages. We are investigating this as a matter of priority and will restore the train back into passenger service once fully rectified.”