Hitachi announced that it has begun the work on TransPennine Express’ new fleet of intercity trains.
The production begun on two test trains, which are made in Japan and will be delivered in the UK in the summer of 2018 for tests, ahead of launching commercial services at the end of 2019.
The new TransPennine Express trains are financed by Angel Trains and the will be maintained Hitachi’s EUR 90.5 million Doncaster depot. By using modern MTU engines from Rolls-Royce, the trains will cut harmful emissions under diesel power by up to 90%.
Starting 2019 the fleet will connect major cities in the North of England and Scotland and will run from Manchester and Liverpool, across the iconic Pennines to cities such as Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
“The construction of our third, brand new fleet of trains is tremendously exciting news for customers. Once in service in 2019, these will be some of the most advanced trains in the UK and coupled with the other new trains we are having built, will provide an additional 13million seats a year.,” TransPennine Express Managing Director Leo Goodwin said.
The trains will provide 161 additional seats compared to the existing trains on the popular intercity route. Customers will benefit from spacious carriages, providing extra legroom and additional luggage space, free Wi-Fi in both Standard and First Class, as well as complimentary on-board entertainment system, Exstream, allowing customers to stream the latest movies and TV shows during their journey.
The new fleet of Hitachi intercity trains (Class 802) were ordered by FirstGroup for TransPennine Express in 2016. The trains will be built across Hitachi’s global manufacturing sites.
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