In service December 2018 Family name A-Train | Manufacturer Hitachi Rail Europe Constructed 2017- | |
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Built at Kasado (Japan)
Pistoia (Italy)
Newton Aycliffe (UK) Replaced InterCity 125
Class 180 Adelante
Class 185 Desiro | ||
The British Rail Class 802 is a type of electro-diesel bi modal multiple unit train being built by Hitachi Rail Europe for Great Western Railway (GWR), TransPennine Express and Hull Trains, based on the AT300 (A-train) design.
Contents
The type will be used initially on the Great Western Main Line, running from London to Plymouth and Penzance along with the HSTs.
History
In mid 2015, First Great Western announced that it had secured the procurement of 173 new rail vehicles from Hitachi Rail, with further options for another 150 vehicles. At the time, FGW was beginning the process of introducing a brand new fleet of intercity trains as part of the Government's Intercity Express Programme. This project involved the procurement of both wholly electric units (Class 801), and "bi-mode" trains (Class 800), capable of running either using OHLE or on-board diesel traction. These trains were intended to replace the existing High Speed Trains following the electrification of the Great Western Main Line. However, electrification will only go as far as Bristol, with the route beyond requiring diesel traction (hence the need to procure trains capable of operating without overhead wires). The purchase of 173 additional vehicles was with the intention that these new bi-mode trains, similar to the Class 800s, would be used on services into Devon and Cornwall. These new trains would consist of 22 five-car and seven nine-car units. The option for a further 150 vehicles would be formed into another 30 five-car units.
Initially, owing to Hitachi's facility at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham being at capacity, the intention was to construct the new trains at Kasado in Japan. However, following Hitachi's purchase of the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda, construction was moved to Hitachi's Pistoia plant. The trains are expected to enter service with Great Western Railway from December 2018. and are also expected to reduce journey times from London to Exeter by up to five minutes, to Plymouth by up to six minutes, and to Penzance by up to 14 minutes.
Operation
The Class 802s will be broadly identical to the Class 800 bi-mode trains used in the Intercity Express Programme, and will be used in a similar way; they will run as electric trains where possible, and will be equipped with the same diesel engines as the Class 800s. However, they will utilise higher engine operating power - 700 kW (940 hp) per engine as opposed to 560 kW (750 hp) - and be fitted with larger fuel tanks to cope with the gradients and extended running in diesel mode expected on the long unelectrified stretches they will operate on.
In September 2015, Hull Trains announced that they would be procuring up to five new 5-car bi-mode units from Hitachi. In its access application, the operator stated that, for route clearance purposes, its planned units would be "identical to the Class 800/801 units", explicitly stating them as Class 802s.
In March 2016, it was announced that TransPennine Express would receive 19 five-car Class 802 sets in 2019 to operate primarily on the North Transpennine Line between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.
In August 2016, GWR announced that it was procuring an additional seven 9-car Class 802 units to add to the 29 already procured.