Great Western Railway and Hitachi are working together to find ways of improving the external presentation of the operator’s large fleet of Class 80x trains.
Since their introduction on the route in October 2017, the Class 80x fleet (owned by Agility Trains and built and maintained by Hitachi) has suffered from noticeable horizontal staining along the bodysides of many of the vehicles. Vertical stains have also been observed beneath windows, while paintwork on one carriage was found to have peeled away in strips.
A spokesman declined to say why the relatively new trains were suffering from poor presentation, but highlighted the trains’ “internal cleanliness” since enhanced cleaning regimes came into force as a result of the pandemic.
We've read it in Passenger Transport - July 15 2022, p9
