Hitachi begins work on bodyshells for Azuma trains
CONSTRUCTION of Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains for Virgin Trains East Coast has begun in Kasado, Japan.
Work has started on the bodyshells, ahead of them being shipped to the UK for further assembly at Hitachi Rail Europe’s Newton Aycliffe facility in County Durham this summer.
This practice is the same as that for the Great Western Railway IEPs that are currently coming off the production line at Newton Aycliffe.
The Azuma fleet will provide an additional 12,200 seats on the VTEC network. They will serve new destinations including Middlesbrough, and there will be an increase in the number of trains serving Bradford, Harrogate and Lincoln.
“The arrival of Azuma in 2018 will mark another milestone on our journey towards totally transforming travel for our customers, and the work happening now in Kasado and beginning in the summer at Newton Aycliffe are important steps on that journey,” said VTEC Managing Director David Horne.
Hitachi Rail Europe Managing Director Karen Boswell said: “The new Azuma fleet will be a combination of Japanese design and British manufacturing. The trains are built using Japanese bullet train technology, world famous for its quality and reliability.”
No firm date has been given by VTEC for the introduction of the new trains, which will replace the High Speed Trains and Class 91/ Mk 4 sets, although VTEC has an option to retain up to six Mk 4 sets and seven ‘91s’.
VTEC has 65 IEPs on order. Unlike GWR, the Azuma fleet is a mixture of 23 bi-mode trains and 42 electric multiple units.
There are 13 nine-car Class 800/1 bi-mode trains, of which 800101 is the first to have been delivered (it was unveiled to the press in March 2016).
Meanwhile, the first two five-car EMUs (801101/102) have been delivered to HRE’s’ Doncaster depot, with testing to start on the East Coast Main Line in the near future.