EMR to brand new Class 810 bi-modes ‘Aurora’

Thirty-three Class 810 bi-mode trains on order from Hitachi for East Midlands Railway will be branded ‘Aurora’, following a competition to name the trains.

EMR has confirmed that the five-car trains will enter traffic in 2023, rather than the intended 2022, after a decision was made to fit them with European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment as-new, rather than waiting to retrofit them.

The name for the Class 810s was selected for its two meanings - the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn (representing the new start) and the Northern

Lights (which East Midlands Railway claims matches the train’s electric capability).

The trains were ordered last year. Financed by Rock Rail, they will largely be assembled at Newton Aycliffe, with construction to start later this year.

Unlike previous Class 800805/807 orders, these trains will have shorter 24-metre carriages and four engines per five-car train, rather than three engines.

Testing should begin in mid2022 on the Midland Main Line, with entry into traffic early the following year.

The trains will replace the existing EMR diesel fleet. They were first announced in July 2017, when then-Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling cancelled MML electrification north of Kettering and said that bi-mode trains would be ordered as replacements.

It was confirmed back in June that ETCS would be rolled out on sections of the West Coast Main Line, the Midland Main Line and East Anglia from 2026, and that £12 million was being spent to fit the 33 Class 810s with ETCS.