British Rail Class 800

British Rail Class 800 Super Express

800001 undergoing dynamic testing at Old Dalby

Hitachi Class 800 undergoing dynamic testing at Old Dalby

Class 800 interior as seen at the opening of the Hitachi Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Facility.

Class 800002 interior as seen at the opening of the Hitachi Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Facility.
In service
  • 2015 (testing)
  • 2017 (passenger service)
Manufacturer Hitachi
Built at
Family name A-Train
Replaced
Number under construction
  • 13 x 9-car sets
  • 46 x 5-car sets
Operator(s)
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body construction Aluminium
Car length 26 metres (85 ft 4 in)
Width 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in)
Maximum speed
  • 125 mph (200 km/h)
  • (140 mph, 225 km/h with minor modifications)
  • (100 mph, 160 km/h with diesel-power only[1])
Prime mover(s) MTU 12V 1600 R80L
Power output 560 kW (750 hp) per engine
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 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes
1:^ The engines are fully rated at 700 kW (940 hp), but have been de-rated on these units.[2]

The Class 800 Super Express is a type of electro-diesel train to be used in the United Kingdom, based on the Hitachi A-train design. They are to be built by Hitachi from 2015. The first units will be delivered for the Great Western Main Line (GWML), beginning service in 2017. These trains will be built at Hitachi's purpose built facility at Newton Aycliffe, alongside the related electric multiple unit Class 801.[3]

Background and design

First class interior

As part of the UK Government's Intercity Express Programme, the Class 800 units are to be partial replacements for the aging InterCity 125 trains which currently operate services on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line. The Class 800 units will be electro-diesel multiple units, able to draw power from electrified overhead lines where available and power themselves via underfloor diesel generators outside of the electrified network. The train specification requires that this changeover can occur at line speed. The trains can be converted to electric-only operation by removal of the diesel engines.

Fleet details

A total of 59 sets will be constructed, with 36 five-car units intended for operation with Great Western Railway, plus 10 five-car and 13 nine-car with Virgin Trains East Coast.[2]

Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per Set Unit nos.
Class 800/0[4][5] Great Western Railway 36 – 5 800001–036
Class 800/1[4][5] Virgin Trains East Coast 13 – 9 800101–113
Class 800/2[4][5] 10 5 800201–210

In March 2016, Virgin Trains East Coast announced that its IEP trains would carry the brand name Azuma, the Japanese word for "East".[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "AT300 for the West of England".
  2. 1 2 Pritchard, Robert (February 2016). "The Future for Intercity Travel". Today's Railways (Platform 5) (170): 40-43.
  3. ↑ Government gives green light for more state-of-the-art intercity trains, Department for Transport, 18 July 2013
  4. 1 2 3 "EMU Formations". AbRail. AbRail. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "First Class 800 ‘Super Express Train’ arrives in the UK" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 161 no. 1369. April 2015. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Edinburgh to London train journey time to be cut to four hours". BBC News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.

External links


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