The final four vehicles for Hitachi’s 800101 arrived at Southampton Docks in mid-August and were immediately moved north to Old Dalby.
The Super Express Train was delivered earlier this year as 800101, but is expected to be renumbered to 801101. It will be reformed from its current five-car configuration to a nine-car train for testing.
For more information, see RAIL 782, published on September 2.
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Sam Jones - 24/08/2015 14:45
So, will this mean that the marketed Class 800, the only one in full existence as of the moment, will be converted to an electric-only Class 801? The main difference between the Class 800s and the Class 801s is that the Class 800 is bi-mode (able to work from both electric and diesel power) and the Class 801 is electric only. It has been established that the unit delivered to Southampton earlier this year was a Class 800. It even had livery to say so. This article seems to state that it would be renamed 801101, making it a Class 801... Is this a mistake or is this genuinely going to happen?
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 24/08/2015 19:49
Also known as the AT300's. Plus once the new Hitachi facility in County Durham is completed & built then Hitachi will continue building the Super Express IEP trains for First Great Western (Great Western Railway) and Virgin Trains East Coast and the AT200's for Abellio Scotrail with Hitachi to build the AT200's for other train operators including Abellio Greater Anglia if necessary and the AT100's to be built for Southern's East Coastway and West Coastway routes, Great Northern Moorgate-Stevenage & Arriva Trains Wales once the electrification to Cardiff and South Wales is completed.
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Chris Watson - 26/08/2015 13:37
If the reformation of this train is to be to the 9 car config with two engines then it is not a bi mode any longer but the electric with is backup something we will never see in the SWML in my lifetime if the past is anything to be judged by I mean the focus on the "Dawlish" problem has gone away (for how long nature will refocus the attention in 24 hours and it took the orange army 18 months to finally finish the repairs)
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