GB Railfreight to provide test train operations for Class 800/801 trains for the Intercity Express Programme

LONDON, September 9, 2013 – Hitachi Rail Europe has today announced that it has signed a contract with GB Railfreight to provide train operations to facilitate the testing and commissioning of the Class 800 and Class 801 trains for the Great Western Main Line as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

As part of the contract GB Railfreight will provide locomotives for transit movements and train crew throughout the test programme.

The contract will allow for type conformance and performance testing. This includes testing of pantograph performance, internal and external noise testing, as well as tests for running characteristics and braking performance. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing will ensure that the Class 800/801 trains will not interfere with the infrastructure and other trains operating on the lines.

Keith Jordan, Managing Director, Hitachi Rail Europe said: “Hitachi Rail Europe is dedicated to delivering the Class 800 series trains into service on schedule and for this, it is highly important to have the right partner to support our testing programme. GB Railfreight have shown that they align well with the Intercity Express Programme requirements and locations, offering a highly proactive response to the scenarios we need to test.”

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said: “The Class 800/801 units for the IEP programme represent a major step forward in the continued modernisation of the UK railway system. GB Railfreight look forward to working with Hitachi to ensure that these trains are tested and commissioned so that they are ready to deliver better services for UK rail passengers.”

GB Railfreight will support Hitachi Rail Europe through the compatibility process in preparation for the start of testing in March 2015.
- End -

Editor’s notes: Hitachi Rail will build the first pre-series Class 800/801 trains in the company’s factory in Kasado, Japan, and they will be shipped to the UK for testing in early 2015. Subsequent trains will be manufactured in the newly constructed train factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. In summer 2012 Agility Trains signed a contract with the Department for Transport to build, finance and maintain 596 train carriages for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line as part of the Intercity Express Programme. Hitachi Rail Europe and John Laing as the main shareholders of Agility Trains were delighted when in summer 2013, the Secretary of State for Transport announced an additional contract for the provision of 270 additional carriages for the East Coast Main Line, bringing the total number of train carriages to 866. The trains will be provided in 5-car and 9-car formations either fully electric (Class 800) or as bi-mode trains (Class 801). The initial pre-series trains will be built in Hitachi’s established train factory in Kasado, Japan, with the series production taking place in Hitachi Rail Europe’s factory in Newton Aycliffe, which will be operational in 2015.