Hitachi trains for Great Western Railway’s Devon and Cornwall route take shape
The wheels are in motion for new intercity trains connecting London to Devon and Cornwall – well, in a manner of speaking.
Hitachi Rail's Italian factory has just started work on the bodyshells for new trains which will begin running as far south as Penzance along coastal routes in Devon and Cornwall from next year.
Karen Boswell, Hitachi Rail Europe's managing director, 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.
Read more: GWR launches new Hitachi train after 175 years of service
Hitachi's UK manufacturing facility has already built its first train for Great Western Railway (GTR) which is due into passenger service this year.
From autumn, the first batch of InterCity Express trains will run on the Great Western main line, connecting the capital to a raft of UK cities including Reading, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff. Production of these is underway at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
CGI of how the trains will look once completed (Source: Hitachi Rail Europe)
Then next year, the second wave of new trains will begin running, with the entire fleet in passenger services by the end of 2019.
Read more: Great Western electrification delayed across four routes
In total, 93 trains are being built at Hitachi factories in the UK and in Italy using Japanese bullet train technology. The fleet includes 36 new trains to connect the capital to Devon and Cornwall.
Passengers will benefit from more seats, on-board technology including real-time journey updates and seat reservation screens.
GWR decided to extend its fleet back in 2015 for new trains to reach Devon and Cornwall.