Hitachi has delivered to Teesport (Middlesbrough) two new Azuma trains, which will form part of Virgin Trains’ future fleet. The trains are five-car hybrids, able to run on both electric and diesel power. Hitachi builds the test trains at its factory in Japan, while manufacturing in the UK at Hitachi’s factory in County Durham will begin this summer.
The two trains will be used to teach on-board crew and drivers how to operate the trains when passenger services start later this year. Virgin Trains have already begun driver training using Azuma simulators at King’s Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh stations.
Virgin Azuma trains will transform travel experiences when they arrive on the East Coast Main Line from December this year. The fleet of 65 trains will provide an extra 12,200 seats, offer the potential to enable faster journeys and support a big increase in through services from London to places such as Bradford, Harrogate and Lincoln.
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