Thirty-three five-car bi-mode trains will be built by Hitachi for East Midlands Railway.
The £400 million deal will be funded by Rock Rail, with the trains in traffic in 2022. They will replace the current High Speed Trains and Class 222s on the Midland Main Line.
Although built as five-car trains, they will regularly run in ten-car formations.
Dominic Booth, Abellio (UK) Managing Director said: “These new trains form the centrepiece of our ambitious plans for a complete replacement of all the trains on the East Midlands Railway and are a more than £600 million investment to really improve the region’s railway. They will respond to what our passengers have told us they want with more frequent services, faster journeys between the East Midlands and London, and provide more capacity with 80% more seats into London in the morning peak”.
Karen Boswell, Hitachi Rail UK MD said: “Today’s announcement will be welcomed in workshops and engineering centres across the country, thanks to our large network of UK suppliers. Our train factory in County Durham sources train parts from across the country, including a significant amount from the region where the new trains will run.”
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For the FULL story, read RAIL 885, published on August 14, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from August 10.
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Denis O'Connell - 04/08/2019 20:42
So - they have not learnt from GWR in that 2 units will be coupled together and therefore two sets of staff will be needed - if that is what they do.
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AndrewJG8918 - 05/08/2019 02:02
As East Midlands Railway is to replace the Class 43 HST's and Class 222s with the new IET trains. Crosscountry might end up inheriting the Class 222s and to operate them on Norwich-Nottingham, Stansted Airport-Birmingham New Street and Pencanze/Truro/Plymouth-Manchester Piccadilly/Manchester Victoria/Newcastle Crosscountry route.
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Mike adamson - 05/08/2019 20:25
No passengers want 2x 5car trains banged together nto make a 10car. Look at what happened with CrossCountry
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