First of GWR’s Italian-built ‘802s’ head for the UK
THE first two Great Western Railway Class 802s built in Italy were due to arrive in the UK at the end of February (as this issue of RAIL went to press).
Five-car bi-modes 802003 and 802004 are the first of 33 trains built by Hitachi Rail Europe at Pistoia, and were unveiled at the Tuscan site on February 9. GWR has 22 five-car and 14 nine-car trains on order, in a £497 million deal with Eversholt Rail.
FirstGroup ordered 22 five-car and seven nine-car trains when it won a franchise extension in April 2015 ( RAIL 771), and the deal was extended by a further seven nine-car trains when it was clear that Network Rail could not deliver electrification on the Great Western Main Line as planned ( RAIL 802).
The ‘802s’ will be delivered to North Pole depot, and will enter traffic later this year. The journey from Italy was expected to take six days by rail. RailAdventure will move the trains to Calais, where GB Railfreight will take over for the trip to west London.
Hitachi Rail Europe AT300 Project Manager Stephen Armitage said HRE planned to use the same locomotive and wagons to haul the trains across Europe, with a move every 12 to 14 days. He said it was forecast the last delivery would take place in January 2019.
The plan is for the five-car trains to enter traffic first (802001802022), followed by the nine-car sets (802101-802114). They are due to be delivered in numerical order, although one or two ‘802/1s’ could be delivered out of sequence.
Armitage said that the three Class 802s already in the UK (five-car 802001/002 and nine-car 802101) will enter traffic in July, followed by the Italian ‘802s’.
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “We know how important the railway is to the economies and communities of the South West, and today marks another significant milestone in delivering the improvements we know our passengers wish to see.
“These trains have been privately financed and will help us deliver faster, more frequent services into the South West with no cost to the taxpayer.”
Berry Sas, Projects Director at Hitachi Rail Europe, said: “We are proud to see our factories producing high-quality trains for the South West using parts sourced from the UK. A strong British supply chain is used in both our UK and Italian factories, and we are delighted to award big contracts to suppliers based along the GWR route.”
Mary Kenny, Chief Executive Officer at Eversholt Rail, which is financing the deal, said “Eversholt Rail has invested £497m in these new Class 802 trains. The dispatch of the first completed trains from Hitachi Rail’s Pistoia’s works marks a significant milestone in the project for all parties and stakeholders.”