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Hitachi unveils Class 800 train for IEP in Japan

Hitachi has unveiled one of the trains being manufactured for the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme (IEP) at its Kasado Works in Kudamatsu City, Japan. 

The company is currently manufacturing three pre-series trains for the IEP at the facility. Of the total 122 trains ordered, Hitachi is manufacturing 12, including the one recently unveiled, at Kasado Works. 

The remaining 110 trains are scheduled to be manufactured at the rail vehicle manufacturing facility that is currently under construction in Newton Aycliffe. 

The new trains being manufactured in Japan are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014, and will be shipped to the UK for test operations in the first half of 2015. 

Hitachi’s Class 800 series trains will be equipped with an underfloor diesel engine generator to run not only electrified routes but also non-electrified routes. Furthermore, the diesel engine generator can be removed, facilitating a smooth transition to electric operations as the electrification programme expands. 

Earlier this year, RTM headed down to Warwick to view a full-scale mock-up of both the driving cab and the carriage interiors of the new Class 800. 

Passenger services using the Class 800 series trains are scheduled to start from 2017 on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) and from 2018 on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). 

Last month, Hitachi secured preferential negotiating rights from the railway operating company Abellio for the delivery of 234 AT-200 cars (70 trains) for standard suburban operations, and for a long-term maintenance contract. The two companies are currently in the final stages of contract negotiations. 

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