Aurora – the name for East Midlands Railway Class 810 trains

Aurora has been chosen by East Midlands Railway as the new name for their new Class 810 trains after a competition with nearly 2,000 entries ended.

The Aurora fleet of trains will provide fast and comfortable journeys between London St Pancras, Sheffield and Nottingham from 2023.

East Midlands Railway says that Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, which represents the new start of Aurora trains servicing East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

The name is also inspired by the Northern Lights, which is created by the transfer of the sun’s solar energy, which EMR says matches the ability of Aurora trains to run under electric wires.

Aurora trains are being financed by Rock Rail East Midlands and are being built by Hitachi Rail in County Durham.

Construction should start later in 2020, with the first trains due to start testing in 2022.

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Will Rogers, Managing Director at East Midlands Railway, said everyone at the company was delighted with the reaction of the public to the competition.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see the level of excitement that surrounds the introduction of the Aurora fleet to the region. We love the winning name as it really fits the project and its aim to bring a new start for the Midland Main Line and our passengers.

“We know our passengers are looking forward to the introduction of the Aurora fleet and the modern, comfortable and greener journeys they will provide.”

 Jim Brewin, UK Country Lead, Hitachi Rail, said: “It’s fantastic to see such a high level of engagement in East Midlands Railway’s competition to name the new fleet. The ‘Aurora’ is a brilliant winning name, and well suited to the fleet that is being delivered – the latest model of our new intercity trains.

“The new trains will benefit 65 suppliers across the UK including a number in the East Midlands and will be built at our factory in County Durham, supporting hundreds of jobs in the region. We look forward to delivering the Aurora Fleet, providing fast, efficient and environmentally friendly journeys for its passengers.”

Mark Swindell, CEO Rock Rail and Director Rock Rail East Midlands, said “Rock is delighted that the new and aptly named Aurora fleet is set to transform the journeys for passengers along the routes between London, Sheffield and Nottingham.

“Together with our institutional investor partners, we are committed to supporting more sustainable travel and the Aurora’s greener credentials will help the UK’s drive towards reducing carbon and other harmful emissions.”

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