Class 800

The Class 800, branded as the Intercity Express Train by Great Western Railway and Azuma by LNER, is a type of bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) built by Hitachi Rail and is part of the AT300 family of trains.

 

 

The Class 800 was developed and produced alongside the Class 801 (an electric-only variant) as part of the Intercity Express Programme to procure replacements for the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets of high speed trains. They were manufactured by Hitachi between 2014 and 2018, being assembled at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility using bodyshells shipped from their Kasado Works facility in Japan.

 

The first Class 800 entered service on the Great Western Main Line on 16 October 2017 and on the East Coast Main Line on 25 May 2019. Early operations were troubled by fatigue cracking and corrosion on the aluminium bodyshells, particularly on the yaw dampers.

 

 

Background

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As part of the UK Government's Intercity Express Programme, or IEP, the Class 800 units were built as partial replacements for the InterCity 125 which operated on the GWML and ECML, as well as the InterCity 225 trains which currently operate on the ECML (alongside the Class 800). A total of 80 units have been produced, comprising of 36 five-car and 21 nine-car sets for GWR along with 10 five-car and 13 nine-car sets for LNER.

 

In March 2016, Virgin Trains East Coast announced their Class 800s would carry the brand name 'Azuma', a Japanese word for 'East', and later in June, GWR announced theirs would be known as the Intercity Express Trains. However, due to the early demise of Virgin Trains East Coast, they never operated the trains, but LNER retained the Azuma branding.

 

In July 2016, it was revealed that GWR's planned fleet of 801s were to be converted from electric-only to bi-mode due to delays in electrification. Subsequently, these sets were reclassified as the 800/3.

 

Design

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The Class 800 is a high-speed bi-mode multiple unit. The traction system features electric motors that are alternatively capable of drawing power from overhead lines where available, or electricity produced by underfloor diesel generators when electric overhead lines are not present.

 

 

All of GWR's Class 800s have the ability to be converted to electric-only trains, which can be achieved by simply removing the onboard diesel generators - this was a requirement of the order.

 

The Class 800 conforms to the latest European standards as of 2014, including the Technical Specifications for Interoperability, as well as UK standards. The front and rear cars feature a collision safety structure and also incorporate a automatic coupling system, in addition to measures to reduce air resistance and noise.

 

The driving cab of the Class 800 is provisioned with a variety of physical switches and monitors. The design of which was not only compliant with relevant standards at the time of design, but also shaped by feedback produced by drivers and “human-factor” experts to improve both ease-of-use and visibilities.

 

 

Train crew are assisted by the Train Control and Management System (TCMS), which runs on an ethernet-based communication system. Amongst other functions, it provides onboard information systems such as the seat reservation system, public address, and passenger information system, as well interfacing with the cab displays, on-train data recorder, and 3G/4G communications.

 

The Class 800 works with various signalling systems, including ETCS Level 2, TPWS, AWS and ATP. The train communicates in realtime with wayside systems, transmitting from the data recorder and receiving timetables and seat allocation data, amongst other material. Location tracking via GPS is used to automatically control selective door operation (where stations are shorter than the trains), guide drivers in efficiently operate the train to best suit the route, and provide information to passengers.

 

The Class 800 is capable of driver-only operation (DOO) but almost all services have a guard on board. When a guard is not present, drivers use in-cab monitors to ensure the doors are clear of obstructions before closing them.

 

 

Traction & Generator Units

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Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) feature a V12 engine. The engines are incorporated as a single package and include the engine itself, the generator, radiator, and other subsystems. External elemnts include the traction converter, fuel tank, automated fire protection (which uses high-pressure nitrogen gas), and braking. They are operated in parallel to provide greater redundancy. The power supply converter is designed to work with both sources of power, avoiding the need for a separate converter for each mode, thus reducing weight and complexity.

 

The GU is installed on vibration-isolating mountings, and fitted with side-mounted cowls to reduce external noise. Heat management measures include thermal insulation around key areas such as cable ducts. According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs is responsible for them being prone to overheating. It claimed that, on one day in summer 2018, "half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating".

 

The Class 800 is equipped with three GUs per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. In comparison, the electric Class 801 features a single GU which provides emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. By adding or removing GUs, a Class 800 can be converted into a Class 801 and vice versa.

 

 

Introduction into service

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The Class 800 entered service on the GWML on 16 October 2017, but the inaugural service encountered several difficulties: not only was it late, one of the carriages suffered a failure with the air-conditioning system and discharged water into the passenger area. Following further issues, all units were withdrawn from service on 19 October and re-entered service the following day.

 

Further to this, the introduction of LNER's sets was postponed by six months due to the train's electro-magnetic emissions which reportedly caused issues with the signalling and other line-side equipment.

 

Accidents & Incidents

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On the evening of 13 November 2019, 800109 was involved in a collision with a Class 43 HST powercar (43300) at Neville Hill Depot, Leeds when the Class 800 ran into the rear of the HST. The trains were travelling at 15mph and 5mph respectively, with three carriages of the Class 800 derailing and the leading vehicle of the Class 800 and trailing locomotive of the HST being severely damaged.

 

On 18 November 2020, the RAIB published its report into the accident with the investigation finding that driver error was the cause of the accident, with insufficient training of the driver being an underlying cause. The effect of the collision was exacerbated by the design of the Class 800 as crashworthiness requirements did not require the effects of a collision at less than 23.5mph to be taken into account, nor did it include specific criteria for assessing the derailment performance.

 

Cracks

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On 26 April 2021, GWR temporarily withdrew eight 5-car Class 800 sets from service after finding cracks in the yaw damper brackets.

 

On 8 May 2021, GWR, LNER and Hull Trains suspended most of their Class 80x trains after cracks were found on the welds of the lifting pads on a GWR Class 800 train undergoing maintenance.

 

Significant disruption was caused by cancellations of trains between London, to Scotland and to the west of the UK. Reports suggested that delays would last for "some time" with the repairs not being easy. From 13 May 2021, some trains started to return to service, however more severely affected trains require repairs before use and a long term fix for all units is required.

 

Interiors

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