Class 801
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The Class 801 Azuma is a class of electric multiple unit built by Hitachi Rail for LNER. The units have been built since 2017 at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility and have been used on services on the East Coast Main Line since 16 September 2019. The Class 801 units were ordered as part of the Intercity Express Programme and are in the Hitachi AT300 product family, alongside the closely related Class 800 units. LNER have branded the units as the Azuma, just like the Class 800s.
An LNER Class 801 unit.
Background & Design
As part of the UK Government's Intercity Express Programme, the Class 801 units were to be built as replacements for the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 sets which were the main trains used for services on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) and the East Coast Main Line (ECML) at the time.
Differing from the Class 800 units, which they were built alongside, the Class 801 units were designed as purely electric multiple units, but with one diesel engine fitted to a single coach of each unit for emergency use. The Class 801 units were to enter service for both Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway but due to delays in the electrification of the GWML, it was announced in June 2016 that 21 nine-car (801/0) sets that were going to enter service with GWR would instead be converted to bi-modal operation. As a consequence, all of these sets were re-classified as 800/3 units and the Class 801 units will only see operation on the ECML. However, GWR do have the option to convert all of their Class 800 units to electric-only operation by removal of the diesel engines should it be exercised, in which case they would be re-classified as a Class 801 unit.
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Operation
The first service to be operated with Class 801 units ran on 16 September 2019, with a pair of 801/1 five-car units operating several services between Leeds and London King's Cross, as well as one return trip between King's Cross and Newark Northgate. Three further pairs of five-car units entered service through the rest of September.
The nine-car Class 801/2 units were introduced on 18 November 2019, between King's Cross and Edinburgh. This allowed a cascade of Class 800/1 units onto services between King's Cross and Aberdeen, which in turn allowed LNER to withdraw its InterCity 125 sets from that route.
Class 801
| Type | Electric Multiple Unit |
|---|---|
| In service | 16 September 2019–present |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi Rail |
| Built at |
Kasado Works, Kudamatsu, Japan Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility, England |
| Family name | A-train |
| Replaced | InterCity 225 |
| Constructed | 2017–2020 |
| Number built | (12 × 801/1, 30 × 801/2) |
| Number in service | 42 |
| Formation |
5 cars per 801/1 unit: DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF 9 cars per 801/2 unit: DPTS-MS-MS-TS-MS-TS-MC-MF-DPTF |
| Fleet numbers |
801/1: 801101–801112 801/2: 801201–801230 |
| Capacity |
801/1: 302 seats (48 first class, 254 standard) 801/2: 611 seats (101 first class, 510 standard) |
| Owners | Agility Trains |
| Operators | London North Eastern Railway |
| Depots |
Bounds Green Craigentinny Doncaster Carr Neville Hill |
| Lines served | East Coast Main Line |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length |
801/1: 129.7 m (425 ft 6 in) 801/2: 233.7 m (766 ft 9 in) |
| Car length |
Driving vehicles: 25.850 m (84 ft 9.7 in) Intermediate vehicles: 26.000 m (85 ft 3.6 in) |
| Width | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Doors | Single-leaf pocket sliding (2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h) |
| Weight |
5-car units: 243 tonnes (239 long tons; 268 short tons) 9-car units: 438 tonnes (431 long tons; 483 short tons) |
| Traction system | Hitachi IGBT |
| Prime mover(s) | 1 × MTU 12V 1600 R80L (emergency use only) |
| Engine type | V12 four-stroke turbo-diesel with SCR |
| Displacement | 21 L (1,284 cu in) |
| Power output |
Engine: 560 kW (750 hp) Electric: 226 kW (303 hp) per motor |
| Acceleration | 0.7 m/s2 (1.6 mph/s) |
| Deceleration |
Service: 1.0 m/s2 (2.2 mph/s) Emergency: 1.2 m/s2 (2.7 mph/s) |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead |
| Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) and regenerative |
| Safety system(s) |
AWS ETCS TPWS |
| Coupling system | Dellner 10 |
| Multiple working | Within class and classes 800 and 802 |
The interior of a Class 801.
A Class 801 unit at London King's Cross.
Last updated 08 July 2024. All information and images sourced from the relevant Wikipedia article(s) unless stated otherwise. If any information is incorrect, please let us know by emailing us: [email protected]. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms apply.