Testing of the first Great Western Railway Class 802 bi-mode train to be built at Pistoia by Hitachi Rail Italy begins in September. It will arrive in the UK in December, and enters traffic next year.

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GWR has 36 Class 802s on order for its West of England services to Devon and Cornwall. These are formed into an initial order of 22 five-car and seven nine-car trains, supplemented last year by a further seven nine-car trains.

They will enable the replacement of the High Speed Trains on the route from the first week of March 2019. 

  • For much more on this, including news and pictures from the Pistoia facility, read RAIL 828, published on June 7.
  • For a detailed trip around Pistoia to visit the '802' production line, read RAIL 829, published on June 21.