Hitachi dispatches first TPE Class 802/2 to UK
The first TransPennine Express Class 802/2 has left Kasado (Japan) for the UK. It is due to arrive in June, and will start main line testing a few weeks later.
The five-car bi-mode is the first of 19 for TransPennine Express (TPE), while a further five are being built for Hull Trains.
It was planned that three would be built in Japan by Hitachi, with the rest assembled at Newton Aycliffe. However, production is switching to Pistoia (Italy), where ‘802s’ are currently being built for Great Western Railway. Bodyshells for TPE’s third ‘802’ are already on their way to the Italian factory.
A Hitachi spokesman told RAIL: “The investment in these new trains is supporting thousands of jobs across the UK, through Hitachi’s decision to choose over 30 UK firms to supply key components to our Italian sister factory.
“The trains will also be maintained at our recently built depot in Doncaster, home to over 250 workers. Our UK train factory in the North East will continue to be busy throughout 2019.”
Maintenance will also be carried out in Craigentinny (Edinburgh). The five-car trains offer 161 more seats than three-car Class 185s currently used by TPE, and will follow the Class 68/Mk 5A and Class 397 fleets into service. They can run at 140mph in electric mode and 125mph in diesel. They are funded by Angel Trains.
TPE told RAIL that the decision means the ‘802s’ can potentially enter traffic earlier than planned.
The delay to delivering Class 385s to ScotRail has been cited as a reason for the switch, with the County Durham site currently full of SR’s electric multiple units that cannot enter traffic until a new windscreen design has been completed, fitted, tested and approved ( RAIL 851).