It’s been delayed (like a lot of rolling stock projects in the United Kingdom), but East Midlands Railway has brought its Class 810 “Aurora” trainsets into commercial service, carrying paying passengers.
EMR Class 810 on its first commercial service – Image EMR (With JenOnTheMove on the right)
The maiden Aurora service departed Sheffield at 7am on Wednesday, bound for London. It marks an important step for East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) new £400 million fleet.
Based on the Hitachi Rail Intercity Express Platform, East Midlands Railway is to take delivery of 33 bi-mode trains will take advantage of the £1.5 billion Midland Main Line upgrade.
The trains (being bi-mode) have the ability to run on electric overhead lines, whilst being able to run on diesel power on the northern section of the route.
The Aurora fleet will provide customers 24 per cent more seats and over 19 per cent more legroom in a typical five-carriage formation, compared to the Meridian trains it is replacing (the Class 222 Meridians). They will offer 47 first class and 254 standard class seats.
Once the full fleet of 33 trains is in service, it will deliver a 46 per cent increase in the total number of seats available for customers travelling on the Midland Main Line.
Inside, seating is provided with the FISA Lean, which has been customised with Derby-based design firm DG DESIGN to offer enhanced comfort and support. Passengers will also find power and USB points, coat hooks, well-sized seat-back tables for all seats and space to stow a cabin bag under each seat.
The new Aurora fleet includes an enhanced Wi-Fi system that uses multiple SIM cards to select the best possible signal for its passengers. For those who wish to stick to mobile phones, the glass is engineered to allow mobile phone signals through more effectively (compared to the “Faraday Cage effect” with the coatings used on the previous train’s windows
In Quotes
Will Rogers, Managing Director for East Midlands Railway, said: “Today is truly a landmark moment for rail travel across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
“At 7am, the very first train in Transport UK and EMR’s brand-new £400 million Aurora fleet departed Sheffield for London St Pancras – marking the start of a new era for Intercity travel on our network.
“With more seats, legroom and luggage space, as well as enhanced Wi-Fi, passenger information and the ability to run on electric, these new trains will transform the service we can provide.”
Looks good. Mass deployment will be key
One of my friends, Jen on the Move, has already been aboard the new train – and has her first impressions in the video
East Midland Railway ordered the Class 810s in 2019, with the aim of having them in service by 2023. Of course, that didn’t happen – and we’re seeing the first train finally enter service two years late.
They’re modified from the Hitchai InterCity Express design, with each carriage 2 metres shorter than the usual InterCity Express Trains, to allow two coupled units to fit into St Pancras International Station.
For now, East Midlands Railway has to focus (along with Hitachi Rail) on delivery and commissioning this fleet of trains, along with driver and crew training, which looks to offer a superior experience than the existing fleet.
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