The British Rail Class 807 ''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 ...
being built by
Hitachi Rail
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo ...
for train operator
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
. Based on the
Hitachi A-train
The Hitachi A-train is a family of rail rolling stock built and designed by Hitachi Rail using a common base and construction techniques. The stock is designed to facilitate a number of product life-cycle improvements including ease of manufacture ...
design, a total of ten 7-car units will be produced.
History
In December 2019,
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the Inter ...
placed an order for 10 seven-car electric units which will replace its
Class 221 fleet, along with 13
Class 805 bi-mode units as part of £350 million contract with
Hitachi Rail
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo ...
. All are scheduled to be in service by 2023.
The trains are financed by Rock Rail West Coast, a joint venture between
Rock Rail
Rock Rail is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). It was established by Rock Infrastructure in 2014, and was structured as a subsidiary of the firm during July 2016.
Rock Rail signed its first rail leasing deal for 25 Siemens Mobility-built ...
and
Standard Life Aberdeen
Abrdn plc (stylised as ‘abrdn’, disemvoweling of "Aberdeen"), formerly Standard Life Aberdeen plc, is a United Kingdom-based global investment company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a ...
.
The trains will be maintained by a joint team of
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
and Hitachi staff, alongside Class 805s, at
Oxley depot near
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
.
Customer service features promised include free Wi-Fi, at-seat wireless inductive charging for electronic devices, plug sockets and USB slots; a catering offer and a real-time passenger information system that can advise of connecting rail services.
Construction
Construction of the class 807 in the UK commenced on 7 July 2020. The
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
shells arrived after being shipped from Hitachi's Kasado plant in Japan. Final production commenced at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe facility. Out of the 135 bodyshells, 56 are being manufactured in the UK.
Fleet details
References
{{High-speed rail
High-speed trains of the United Kingdom
Hitachi multiple units
25 kV AC multiple units
Train-related introductions in 2023