The British Rail Class 805 AT300 is a type of bi-mode multiple unit which is being built by Hitachi Rail for Avanti West Coast. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, 13 five-car units are being built to replace Class 221s on services between London Euston, Birmingham New Street and stations on the North Wales Coast lines. Their introduction is intended to allow the elimination of long-distance diesel working on electrified routes.[5]
| British Rail Class 805 | |
|---|---|
 An Avanti Class 805 at Crewe in 2023 | |
| In service | Planned for Summer 2024[1] |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi Rail |
| Built at |
|
| Family name | A-train |
| Replaced | Class 221 (Avanti West Coast) |
| Constructed | 2021–present |
| Number under construction | 8 |
| Number built | 5[3] |
| Formation | 5 cars per unit |
| Fleet numbers | 805001–805013[4] |
| Capacity | 301 seats (25 first-class, 276 standard)[5][6] |
| Owners | Rock Rail |
| Operators | Avanti West Coast |
| Depots | Oxley (Wolverhampton) |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium[7] |
| Car length | 26 m (85 ft 4 in) |
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h)[8] |
| Electric system(s) | Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
History edit
In December 2019, Avanti West Coast placed an order for 13 five-car bi-mode units to replace its Class 221 fleet, along with 10 Class 807 electric units, as part of £350 million contract with Hitachi Rail.[9] All were originally scheduled to be in service by 2023. The trains are financed by Rock Rail West Coast, a joint venture between Rock Rail and Standard Life Aberdeen.[10] The trains will be maintained by a joint team of Alstom and Hitachi staff, alongside Class 807s, at Oxley depot near Wolverhampton.
Passenger facilities promised include free Wi-Fi, at-seat wireless inductive charging for electronic devices, 230 V sockets and USB sockets, a catering offer and a real-time passenger information system that can advise of connecting rail services.[11]
In June 2022, static testing commenced at Newton Aycliffe and dynamic testing followed in November.[12][13] Main line testing began in February 2023,[14] with introduction into service originally planned for later in 2023,[15] before falling back to Summer 2024.[1]
Fleet details edit
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 805 | Avanti West Coast | 13 | 2021–present | 5 | 805001–805013 |
References edit
- ^ a b "'805' Introduction Delay". In Brief. Rail Express. No. 332. January 2024. p. 9.
- ^ Holden, Michael (3 July 2020). "First shells for Avanti West Coast Class 805s arrive in UK". RailAdvent. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Five Avanti West Coast Class 805s now accepted". Network News. Rail Magazine. No. 1004. 6 March 2024. p. 23.
- ^ Clinnick, Richard (9 June 2020). "Avanti confirms class numbers for Hitachi train order". Rail Magazine. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ a b Hewitt, Sam (7 January 2020). "Hitachi wins £350million order for new West Coast trains". The Railway Hub. Mortons Media Group. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "West Coast partnership 2023: national rail contract" (PDF). Department for Transport. gov.uk. 21 March 2024. p. 76 | Specified Additional Rolling Stock. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Wordsworth, Nigel (4 July 2020). "First bodyshells for Avanti West Coast's new trains arrive in the UK". Rail Insider. Rail Business Daily. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Speed limiters for Hitachi fleets". Traction & Stock. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 168, no. 1457. August 2022. p. 92.
- ^ "Avanti West Coast - What's in Store". Avanti West Coast. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Rock Rail and ASI close latest UK rolling stock deal". Rock Infrastructure. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "First Trenitalia chooses Hitachi Rail to build new intercity trains for Avanti West Coast". Hitachi Rail UK. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Static testing begins on Avanti West Coast's new train fleet". 13 June 2022.
- ^ May, Tiana (17 November 2022). "Dynamic Testing Begins on Avanti West Coast's Fleet of Hitachi Trains". Railway-News.
- ^ UK2023-02-13T11:13:00+00:00, Railway Gazette (13 February 2023). "West Coast Main Line electro-diesels on test". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Emmett, Conrad (13 July 2022). "Avanti's new 805 train pictured". railbusinessdaily.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.