Vehicles for Hitachi’s first LNER Azuma to be assembled at Newton Aycliffe have started to arrive at the County Durham site.
Deliveries for nine-car bi-mode 800102 began on July 9. The bodyshells are fabricated in Kasado (Japan) before being shipped to the UK for assembly.
Hitachi spokesman Nina Harding confirmed that Azuma production would start in July at the site. The trains will enter traffic from next year.
LNER Azumas already in the UK are all products of Kasado, with 800101 having arrived in 2015. Others in the UK are 800103/105/107, 800201/202, 801101/102, 801201. The Class 800s are bi-mode trains, with the ‘800/1s’ nine-car sets and the ‘800/2s’ five-car. The Class 801s are electric multiple units, with ‘801/1s’ the five-car and ‘801/2s’ the nine-car trains.
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AndrewJG8918 - 01/08/2018 01:49
Hitachi should carry on manufacturing more new trains in the UK since they started building the Class 800's, Class 802's and Class 385's. Plus with Class 801's also under construction which LNER will start using them from next year. When they introduce some of the IET's on the East Coast Main Line.