London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has announced its new Azuma trains will launch on Wednesday 15 May.
The trains have been through rigorous testing with engineers and technical staff from Hitachi Rail, Network Rail and the Department for Transport to ensure they will meet the high standards LNER sets for outstanding customer service.
LNER Managing Director David Horne said the first Azuma train will run on the London (King’s Cross) – Leeds route, with further trains being phased into service on the rest of the route over the coming months.
“I am delighted to confirm that LNER will run the first Azuma train on the service between London and Leeds, commencing from 15 May,” Mr Horne said.
“This is what customers up and down the country have been waiting for and represents a monumental milestone for rail travel.
“We’ve worked very hard alongside our partners and suppliers to reach this point and I look forward to giving all our customers an excellent experience every time they travel with us.”
LNER customers will see more seats and more services rolled out across the network as Azuma trains are introduced, with the total fleet increasing from 45 to 65 trains.
The Azuma trains are being manufactured in Britain by Hitachi Rail, at its purpose-built factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
Karen Boswell, Managing Director of Hitachi Rail said: “Passengers on the East Coast Main Line will soon be able to enjoy a fleet built in the North East of England harnessing Japanese bullet-train technology.
“Our British train factory has sourced parts from across the country to build the Azuma trains, which herald a new era for this famous route.”
The introduction of the new trains has required substantial work across the network to update equipment and technology used to run the Azumas.
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And with new services being added that LNER will allow the Class 800 Azuma Bi-Mode IETs to operate to.