Hull Trains release interior progress images of its new trains
Posted: 2 August 2019 | Global Railway Review | No comments yet
The images show that production progress in Italy is well-underway on the new £60 million fleet which will help transform rail travel between Hull and London.
The first of the five new trains is due to arrive in the UK during the first week in September 2019 and is on time to be rolled into passenger use in October 2019.
The images were released as Hull Trains’ Managing Director, Louise Cheeseman visited the Hitachi factory in Pistoia, Italy.
Quality of work
She said: “We were able to get on-board the first 802 for the first time and see a full carriage of standard class seats in situ. The team at Hitachi are very excited about working on them because our trains are very different to what have been produced before in terms of the colours and interiors. The quality of work is excellent and they are bang on time which is really important and good news for everyone.”
Hull Trains’ Managing Director, Louise Cheeseman, visited the Hitachi factory in Pistoia, Italy.
Louise continued: “It was quite a nerve wracking moment to see the interiors for the first time because up until now we’ve only seen swatches of seat material and carpets. “I am so pleased to say everything really does look great, we opted for the superior quality of seat material, with no expense spared. Hitachi wanted feedback from us, in terms of what we hoped for and we could only give positive answers.
“To be able to sit in the seats and walk down the aisle of a carriage gave me both an amazing sense of pride and awe. I can’t wait for passengers to experience it. It really was a special milestone moment being in Italy to see the physical trains having been working off drawings and plans for so long.”
The building of the trains began in Japan in May 2018, with the shells of all five trains shipped to Italy by March 2019.
The first two trains to be completed will be coupled up and brought to the UK together – with details of the route and exact dates and timings set to be released in the coming weeks.
The five new Class 802 Hitachi trains will replace the entire current fleet of Class 180s and revolutionise travel from Hull to London.
Technology
Louise added: “I’m anticipating Hull Trains will be the best train operating company in the UK when the new trains are all in service. The technology involved in the new trains will mean we can continue to run services where overhead wires have been damaged, which has affected services in recent weeks. They will be more comfortable and spacious. There is also improved access ability and the storage facilities are better. There will be more seats and the new trains are more environmentally friendly too.“
Once the trains arrive in the UK, Hitachi will carry out test runs before driver training takes place and the trains will then be rolled into the timetable one by one. By 31 December 2019, the fifth and final train will have arrived in the UK and the entire new fleet will be in passenger use.
The Standard Class seats inside the first new train.
