Building work progresses on new GWR Class 802s
Construction of the first Great Western Railway Class 802 AT300 is progressing in Italy.
Hitach Rail Europe is building 36 trains in Pistoia, near Florence. These will be used predominantly between London Paddington and Devon and Cornwall. The first enters traffic next year, and all will be in service by the end of 2019.
Thirty-six ‘802s’ are on order, joining the Class 800s currently being built and delivered by HRE for GWR.
“The first UK built Intercity Express Train rolled off the UK production plant last December for introduction in passenger service later this year, and it is great to see work on the fleet for Devon and Cornwall progress,” said GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood.
Hitachi Rail Europe Managing Director Karen Boswell said: “Introducing a new bullet train-inspired fleet to run along iconic stretches of British railway will be a truly historic moment.
“To make sure passengers get the new trains as soon as possible, Hitachi is using its factories in Italy and the North East of England, where our skills and expertise are entirely complementary.”
- For much more on this, including how the trains will operate along the sea wall at Dawlish, read RAIL 821, published on March 1.
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RIch - 28/12/2017 13:43
One wonders if it sensible for Class 802 equipment to be made in Italy for delivery in 2019 as the UK will have left the EU by then and there may be Duties, taxes and paperwork required for goods from Italy. Perhaps they would be moved to UK before completion and be completed in UK under such circumstances.
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