New Great Western Railway Intercity Express Trains for the train operating company’s Devon and Cornwall routes have rolled off the manufacturing plant in Italy. They will soon be beginning their journey across Europe to the UK.

The new trains will also allow GWR to run direct services from Bedwyn and Hungerford. The trains will also allow them to serve routes towards Oxford and beyond to the North Cotswolds.

The two trains, number 802003 and 802004 will leave Italy in the next few weeks. They will arrive a few days later at Hitachi’s West London depot. The trains will be hauled by rail across mainland Europe. The journey will take them via Austria, Germany, and France, before arriving in the UK via the Channel Tunnel.

Two five carriage (802001 and 802002) and one nine-carriage train (802101) prototypes have been tested in the South West of England since Summer 2017. The test programme is being run out of Hitachi’s newly built Bristol depot.

36 Intercity Express Trains will begin running from London Paddington via Reading, Wiltshire, Somerset and along the coast to Devon and Cornwall and as far Penzance from summer 2018.

Due to Hitachi’s UK factory running at full capacity, these two trains are having to be built in Pistoia, Tuscany.

Great Western Railway’s new fleet of trains has also helped local businesses in their supplying parts. The following parts were supplied by local businesses:

• Floors from Cornwall (Tiflex)
• Pantographs from Somerset (Brecknell Willis)
• Braking systems from Wiltshire (Knorr-Bremse)

What did the officials say?

Mark Hopwood, Managing Director at Great Western Railways, said “We know how important the railway is to the economies and communities of the South West, and today marks another significant milestone in delivering the improvements we know our passengers wish to see. These trains have been privately financed and will help us deliver faster, more frequent services to the South West with no cost to the taxpayer.”

Berry Sas, Projects Director at Hitachi Rail Europe, said “We are proud to see our factories producing high-quality trains for the South West using parts sourced from the UK.  A strong British supply chain is used in both our UK and Italian factories, and we are delighted to award big contracts to suppliers based along the GWR route. The test programme is moving apace ahead of summer entry into service when passengers will enjoy the benefits of modern intercity trains”

Mary Kenny, Chief Executive Officer at Eversholt Rail, who are financing the deal said “Eversholt Rail has invested £497m in these new Class 802 trains, built by Hitachi Rail for operation on Great Western Railway, to modernize the rail connection and passenger experience from Devon and Cornwall to London.  The despatch of the first completed trains from Hitachi Rail’s Pistoia’s works marks a significant milestone in the project for all parties and stakeholders.”

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