Seven nine-car Class 802 AT300 bi-mode trains have been added to the Great Western Railway order with Hitachi Rail Europe.
This means GWR now has 93 new trains on order to replace the 40-year-old High Speed Train fleet, the train operating company having exercised an option that was available in the initial order for the trains.
The latest order, announced on August 3, will be built by Hitachi Rail Italy in Pistoia. This is the same location that will be building the initial order for 29 Class 802s made when First was awarded a new deal to operate the franchise in March 2015.
The ‘802s’ are more powerful bi-mode trains and will be used on trains between London and the far South West. The first ‘802s’ will enter traffic in 2018, and all are owned and financed by Eversholt Rail Group.
“This complements the 86 brand new trains due to start operating across the GWR network next year. They give us greater flexibility in our fleet to deliver faster, more frequent services and additional seats for our passengers, particularly while Network Rail completes the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line,” said GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood.
- For more on this, read RAIL 807, published on August 17.
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Evan Tony - 05/08/2016 15:39
surely the title should be seven nine-car trains, not nine trains?
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BigTone - 18/08/2016 21:30
I see this very same (erranous) headline is in the latest issue of Rail
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 06/08/2016 21:26
So in total. Hitachi are to build 93 IEP trains including the Class 800, Class 801 and Class 802 to replace the Class 43 HST's but some of the Class 43's will be kept for GWR and VTEC (including some of the Class 91+MK3 fleet).
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