To celebrate this Saturday's Coronation of King Charles III, yesterday, Friday, 4th May, at Edinburgh Waverley station a TransPennine Express (TPE) Class 802 Nova 1 train was named Palace of Holyroodhouse.
At the beginning of each summer, the late Queen Elizabeth II spent one week in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Before her passing last year, Her Majesty had granted permission for TransPennine Express to use the name and imagery of the Palace on one of its trains.
Edinburgh Waverley Station is just a stone's throw away from the 16th-century palace. After naming, the train set off on its inaugural journey to the swirl of pipes played by the Border Piper, Sandy Mutch, who was clad in a full highland dress and serenaded Palace of Holyroodhouse with The Badge of Scotland as it started its maiden journey with its new name.
The newly-named Nova 1 will operate TransPennine Express services along the Anglo-Scottish routes connecting Edinburgh/Glasgow with Newcastle and the North West of England.
Matthew Golton, Managing Director for TPE, said: “We are thrilled to be able to celebrate our new King by naming one of our Nova 1 trains in His Majesty's honour.
“We wanted to pay homage to the extensive royal history that Scotland has to offer, and it seemed only fitting to name one of our trains after King Charles III's official residence in Edinburgh – the Palace of Holyroodhouse.”
Matthew added: “It's a great honour and privilege to have been granted permission from Queen Elizabeth II before she passed.
“It seemed fitting to unveil the newly named train at Edinburgh Waverley Station and even more apt to send the train on its first journey across the country to the sound of bagpipes.”
Damian Briody, Head of Rail Projects and Technical Services for Transport Scotland, said: “It's an honour to have witnessed the unveiling of the Palace of Holyroodhouse at Edinburgh Waverley.
“With such a steep royal history, it seemed only fitting to unveil the train in Edinburgh, less than a mile from the royal palace itself and I'm looking forward to seeing passengers enjoy riding on the newly named train.”
