VTEC Azumas to enter traffic on November 19

The first Virgin Trains East Coast Intercity Express Programme Azumas are due to enter traffic on November 19 this year.

The date was revealed in a letter from Jeremy Hotchkiss, Deputy Director Rail Industry Competitiveness at the Department for Transport, sent to Syd Scrace, Approvals & Homologation Manager Hitachi Rail Europe. It was dated September 14 2017 and released to the public on January 11.

The letter itself was about granting a derogation to the various vehicles of the VTEC fleet project, with regard to command, control and signalling - including GSM-R radios.

VTEC Managing Director David Horne told RAIL last year that December was the planned launch date, at which time four would be in traffic ( RAIL 837).

Currently nine-car bi-mode 800101 is undergoing testing, while five-car Class 801/1 electric multiple units 801101/102 are at HRE’s Doncaster Carr depot ahead of testing. Nine-car EMU 801201 is at Newton Aycliffe and has begun testing, before being released for further main line testing and commissioning.

VTEC says the full Azuma timetable is due to begin from May 2020, when the final Class 91/Mk 4s are due to be withdrawn from regular traffic. More Class 800/801s will be introduced on a regular basis from December this year.

VTEC has 13 nine-car Class 800/1 and ten five-car Class 800/2 bi-mode IEPs on order, and 12 five-car ‘801/1’ and 30 nine-car ‘801/2s’ on order.