British Rail Class 802

British Rail Class 802

Artist's impression of a Great Western Railway Class 802
In service December 2018
Manufacturer Hitachi Rail Europe
Built at Kasado (Japan)
Pistoia (Italy)
Newton Aycliffe (UK)
Family name A-Train
Replaced InterCity 125
Class 180 Adelante
Class 185 Desiro
Number under construction 46 x 5-car
7 x 9-car
Formation DT-M-M-M-DT (5-car)
DT-M-M-T-M-T-M-M-DT (9-car)[1]
Capacity 326 (5-car)
655 (9-car)[1]
Operator(s) Great Western Railway
Hull Trains
TransPennine Express
Line(s) served Great Western Main Line
Cornish Main Line
East Coast Main Line
Specifications
Car body construction Aluminium
Car length 26m[2]
Maximum speed
  • 125 mph (201 km/h)
  • (140 mph, 225 km/h with minor modifications)
Prime mover(s) MTU 12V 1600 R80L
Power output 700 kW (940 hp) per engine
Acceleration 1m/s2
Electric system(s) 25 kV AC
Current collection method Pantograph
Safety system(s) AWS, TPWS, ETCS, ATP
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 802[1][3] is a type of diesel-electric bi-mode multiple unit train being built by Hitachi Rail Europe for Great Western Railway (GWR), TransPennine Express and Hull Trains, based on the AT300 (A-train) design.

The type will be used initially on the Great Western Main Line, running from London to Plymouth and Penzance.[4]

History

In mid 2015, First Great Western announced that it had secured the procurement of 173 new rail vehicles from Hitachi Rail, with further options for another 150 vehicles.[4] At the time, FGW was beginning the process of introducing a brand new fleet of intercity trains as part of the Government's Intercity Express Programme.[5] This project involved the procurement of both wholly electric units (Class 801), and "bi-mode" trains (Class 800), capable of running either using OHLE or on-board diesel traction. These trains were intended to replace the existing High Speed Trains following the electrification of the Great Western Main Line. However, electrification will only go as far as Bristol, with the route beyond requiring diesel traction (hence the need to procure trains capable of operating without overhead wires).[6] The purchase of 173 additional vehicles was with the intention that these new bi-mode trains, similar to the Class 800s, would be used on services into Devon and Cornwall. These new trains would consist of 22 five-car and seven nine-car units.[7][7] The option for a further 150 vehicles would be formed into another 30 five-car units.[4] Initially, owing to Hitachi's facility at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham being at capacity, the intention was to construct the new trains at Kasado in Japan. However, following Hitachi's purchase of the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda, construction was moved to Hitachi's Pistoia plant.[8] The trains are expected to enter service with Great Western Railway from December 2018.[7] and are also expected to reduce journey times from London to Exeter by up to five minutes, to Plymouth by up to six minutes, and to Penzance by up to 14 minutes.[7]

Operation

The Class 802s will be broadly identical to the Class 800 bi-mode trains used in the Intercity Express Programme, and will be used in a similar way; they will run as electric trains between London and Newbury, and will be equipped with the same diesel engines as the Class 800s. However, they will utilise higher engine operating power - 700 kW (940 hp) per engine as opposed to 560 kW (750 hp) - and be fitted with larger fuel tanks to cope with the gradients and extended running in diesel mode expected in Devon and Cornwall.[1]

In September 2015, Hull Trains announced that they would be procuring up to five new 5-car bi-mode units from Hitachi.[9] In its access application, the operator stated that, for route clearance purposes, its planned units would be "identical to the Class 800/801 units", explicitly stating them as Class 802s.[3]

In March 2016, it was announced that TransPennine Express would receive 19 five-car Class 802 sets in 2019.[10][11][12]

Fleet details

Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per Set Unit nos.
Class 802/0 Great Western Railway 22 201619 5 802001802022
Class 802/1 7 9 802101802107
Class 802/2 Hull Trains 5 5 802201802205
TransPennine Express 19 802206802225

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pritchard, Robert (February 2016). "The Future for Intercity Travel". Today's Railways (Platform 5) (170): 40-43.
  2. "AT-300: High-speed".
  3. 1 2 "Directions in respect of a track access contract between Network Rail Infrastructure Limited and Hull Trains Company Limited" (PDF). Office of Rail and Road. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "AT300 for the West of England".
  5. "£4.5 billion investment in new trains creates new jobs". gov.uk. Department for Transport. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. "Modernising the Great Western route". Network Rail. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "UK DfT approves First Great Western's £361m Hitachi train order".
  8. "Great Western AT300 trainsets to be built in Italy", www.railwaygazette.com, 22 Dec 2015
  9. "First Hull Trains to buy new bi-mode trains". Global Rail News. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  10. "TPE goes for loco-hauled trains for new franchise". Today's Railways (Sheffield: Platform 5). May 2016.
  11. Hitachi awarded TransPennine Express multiple unit contract Railway Gazette International 31 March 2016
  12. Hitachi scoops 95-car TPE train deal Rail Magazine 1 April 2016

External links

Media related to British Rail Class 802 at Wikimedia Commons

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