The East Coast Line operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has launched its new Azuma trains on Flying Scotsman, between Edinburgh and King’s Cross in London, the capitals of Scotland and England.
Built by Hitachi’s UK manufacturing team in County Durham, the new Azuma electro-diesel trains offer more seats, more legroom, better WiFi, improved accessibility, greater reliability than the current fleet and ultimately faster journey times.
Starting 1 August 2019, Azuma passenger services launched from London to York, North East England and Edinburgh. 65 new Azuma trains will replace all of the existing LNER fleet of 45 trains by summer 2020. Each new trainset will provide more than 100 more seats.
This “marks a new turning point for rail travel in Britain with LNER’s Azuma trains launching on our iconic route, connecting the region with Scotland and London. Azuma is a great example of how we are transforming rail travel, much in the same way our predecessors have done whether that be through the likes of the Class A4s, Deltics, HSTs or Class 91s,” David Horne, LNER Managing Director, said.
The Azuma fleet will cut harmful emissions by 90 per cent compared to existing high-speed trains as well as reducing noise at stations and for communities living along the East Coast route.
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