The British Rail Class 803 ''AT300'' is a type of

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

built by Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi Rail for open-access operator Lumo. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, a total of five units comprising five cars have been produced. The class is used to operate passenger services on the

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...

between and .

Background

In 2015, following an announcement from the Office of Rail and Road that it would be allowing open-access operators to bid for additional rail paths on the

, FirstGroup submitted a proposal to operate services between London and Edinburgh. Under its plan, First would seek to directly compete with existing road, rail and air services by offering all

standard class Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of: * t ...

seating with an average ticket price of approximately £25. The proposal for the new service was approved in May 2016. In March 2019, First announced that it had signed an agreement with Hitachi to procure a total of five new five-car trains from its A-train product line for its new service. The units are financed by Beacon Rail with a ten-year maintenance contract. The first body shell arrived at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility in April 2020. The first test runs on the national network were held on 26 May 2021, with the class entering public service on Lumo's launch day of 25 October 2021.

Operation

While sharing a bodyshell with the previous UK A-train variants, the Class 803 differs in that it has no diesel engines fitted. They are fitted with batteries to enable the train's on-board services to be maintained, in case the primary electrical supplies have failed. Other changes include seating being standard class only, and the lack of a

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

area, although catering services are provided through the use of a trolley service. The units also feature air conditioning, power sockets and free Wi-Fi.

Fleet details

Accidents and incidents

On 17 April 2022, a Lumo-operated Class 803 passed through a set of points at at where there was a speed restriction of . Several passengers sustained minor injuries. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch opened an investigation into the incident.

References

{{A-Train High-speed trains of the United Kingdom Hitachi multiple units 25 kV AC multiple units Train-related introductions in 2021