East Coast rail operator LNER has released new images of its forthcoming ‘Serenza’ Class 897 trains, which are due to replace its fleet of Intercity Class 225 ‘Electra’ trains over the next few years.
The CAF-built Class 897 trains will be the first new trains to be launched under Great British Railways (GBR), and whilst it’s still not clear what they’ll look like on the outside, LNER has released new images of what they’ll look like on the inside.
Named Serenza – a hybrid of ‘serene’ and the Spanish-style suffix ‘-enza’ – the new fleet of 10-carriage trains promises ‘a new generation of comfort and speed’. They’ll feature new standards for seating in First and Standard Class, with wider headrests, more padding and reshaped cushions.
Digital screens in each carriage will keep customers up to date with the latest live journey and safety information, and the trains will also feature five water bottle refill stations throughout each train.
The interiors have been designed in-house by LNER’s design team, alongside stakeholders, colleagues, accessibility specialists and industrial designers to achieve a design that works for everybody.
The train’s tri-mode capabilities will allow them to be utilised across the entire LNER route, with each train able to use a combination of overhead wires, diesel engines and battery power over the 1,000 mile LNER network.
The new Class 897 trains will replace LNER’s InterCity 225 fleet on the East Coast Main Line, which is close to 40 years old. The East Coast stalwarts have carried hundreds of millions of customers over their lifetime and are now in their swansong years.
The new fleet will be introduced in the coming years, with further details to be released as the project progresses.
