Hitachi Rail Europe apologised for the problems that affected the first passenger-carrying Intercity Express Programme train on October 16.
HVAC failures causing a water-leak and overheating meant that Great Western Railway's 800005 and 800006, operating the 0600 Bristol Temple Meads-London Paddington arrived in the capital late, having also suffered a pantograph fault at Taplow. The '800s' were removed from traffic.
HRE Managing Director Karen Boswell said: “Nine years of hard work has gone into making today happen, from creating a new factory and workforce, to establishing modern maintenance facilities from Swansea to London. We’ve delivered pioneering 21st century trains for passengers to enjoy and sparked a manufacturing renaissance in the North East.
“I am, however, very sorry and disappointed that today’s first passenger train from Bristol encountered technical issues, causing a delay to the service and an air-conditioning issue which resulted in water entering the carriage rather than being discharged externally.
“This was not to a standard that Hitachi expects and is known for. We can and will do better. Our depot teams are, as a matter of priority, investigating the root causes of today’s technical issues, and we will ensure that these are corrected as quickly as possible.”
FrankH - 17/10/2017 12:12
I think Karen Boswell's comment " nine years of hard work has gone into making today happen" will be mocked by some of the press considering what happened.