Intercity Express programs

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The Intercity Express Program , IEP for short, refers to the procurement program of the British Department for Transport (DfT for short) for the successor to the Intercity 125 and Intercity 225 train types . The diesel-electric Intercity 125 (also called High Speed ​​Train ) were produced between 1975 and 1982, the fully electric Intercity 225 between 1988 and 1991.

A tender launched in 2007 called for three train variants: for use on electrified routes, for non-electrified routes and a bimodal version for both types of route. In 2009 the Agility Trains consortium was announced as the winner of the tender, and in July 2012 it was commissioned to build 92 trains. Another 30 trains were ordered in July 2013.

The first deployment took place, as planned in 2012, in October 2017 on the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington via Bristol to South Wales . The first trains for the East Coast Main Line were in trial operation in 2018 and have been in passenger service since May 2019.

history

Tender

The tender called for a uniform platform for the train, which, depending on the configuration, is suitable for electric drive (25 kV, 50 Hz), for driving with a combustion engine, and as a bimodal version with hybrid drive for both types of route.

On November 16, 2007 the Ministry of Transport shortlisted three providers - these were Alstom with Barclays , Hitachi Transportation Systems and the Express Rail Alliance made up of the manufacturers Bombardier Transportation , Siemens Transportation Systems , the leasing company Angel Trains and the investment company Babcock & Brown .

Alstom withdrew from the tender in February 2008. Partner Barclays Private Equity then merged with Hitachi on June 28, 2008, four days before the end of the tender. The resulting Agility Trains consortium now also included the British construction and infrastructure company John Laing plc . Barclay left the Agility Trains consortium in February 2010, 70% of which is now owned by Hitachi Rail Europe and 30% by John Laing Investments.

assignment

On February 12, 2009, the government announced that it was treating the Agility Trains consortium as the preferred supplier to tender for a £ 7.5 billion contract. The decision was criticized because Bombardier could have had it manufactured in Derby. Agility designed a new plant in north east England to build the trains .

In July 2012, the contract was awarded to the Agility Trains consortium. Initially, 92 trains with 596 cars were ordered, followed by another order for 30 trains with 270 cars in 2013. The total value of the contract awarded by the Department of Transportation is now £ 5.8 billion. This package includes a maintenance contract for 27.5 years. Hitachi will build new depot u. a. in Bristol and Doncaster and upgrading existing maintenance depots along the two railway lines.

construction

At least six types of multiple units should be offered according to the tender:

  • Type 1 - 10-part diesel-electric multiple unit, divided into
    • Type 1A - intercity
    • Type 1B - interurban
  • Type 2 - 10-part bimodal intercity multiple unit, with a diesel-electric motor vehicle at one end and an electric motor vehicle at the other end
  • Type 3 - 5-part electric multiple unit (EMU)
  • Type 4 - 5-part bimodal multiple unit for suburban traffic (commuter services)
  • Type 5 - 10-part intercity EMU.

The hybrid solution is based on the test trains in the British Rail Class 43 (HST) project, which was supposed to replace the InterCity 125 . The car modules will each have a length of 26 meters and a width of 2.7 meters, which is still very narrow even for the small British clearance profile .

The trains offered by Agility Trains are built by Hitachi and run under the names "Hitachi Super Express" or "Super Express Train". Hitachi supplies the trains in two variants, the bimodal trains of Class 800 and fully electric trains of Class 801 . A train can consist of 5 to 12 cars. Each car is 26 meters long and 2.7 meters wide. The trains will be equipped with the ETCS Level 2 signaling system and British Rail Automatic Train Protection (BR ATP).

The trains with nine cars that have been ordered offer 627 seats, which have 50 mm more foot space than the previous train in the standard class. The equipment includes WiFi in the carriages, sockets at every seat, LCD displays for seat reservations and 10 bicycle parking spaces per train. A kitchen will be installed on the train that can prepare 100 warm meals per 2 hours.

The trains are said to be operated at a maximum speed of 200 km / h, but can travel at 225 km / h if the infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line is improved. The purely electric multiple units are referred to as Class 801 , the bimodal multiple units as Class 800 . Each train will be equipped with at least one diesel engine. This gives the electric trains a self-rescue drive in the event of a catenary failure. In order to keep the auxiliary unit in working order, it will be used regularly during shunting trips.

Manufacturing

The first trains were manufactured completely in the Hitachi factory in Japan Kasado before final assembly in a new factory in Newton Aycliffe ( Durham began), which was officially inaugurated in September, 2015. This is where the trains are assembled, fitted out and tested, while the aluminum car bodies are delivered from Japan because their welding technology is only available there.

The first of three pre-series trains, a five-part bimodal train, was presented to the press on November 13, 2014. It left the manufacturer's works on January 7, 2015 and was tested on the Old Dalby test track near Nottingham from April 2015 . The three pre-series trains, which were also used for staff training, were 2 five-car bimodal trains of Class 800 and a nine-car EMU of Class 801 . The first British-made train was presented in January 2017 and delivered to the Great Western Railway (GWR). The MTU Friedrichshafen provides for the trains at least 252, respectively 700 kilowatt power plant, forms the core of an MTU diesel engine with 12 cylinders. In August 2013, Knorr-Bremse received an order worth 42 million euros for braking systems and bogie equipment.

A total of 122 trains with 866 cars had been ordered by 2013. A first order included 92 trains with 596 cars. Of these, 369 cars were planned as the first part for the First Great Western , as 36 five-part bimodal and 21 nine-part fully electric compositions, which were used for the line to Bristol and Wales from 2017. The second delivery was 227 cars for the East Coast Main Line, configured as 12 five-car EMUs, 10 five-car bimodal trains and 13 nine-car bimodal trains. They were to be used on the East Coast Main Line from 2018 and then replace the diesel high-speed trains . Another 30 nine-part compositions, which were ordered by the Ministry of Transport in July 2013, are also planned for the East Coast Line to replace the Intercity 225 used there .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ High-tech long-distance trains for England . In: DMM mobility manager . February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved on February 16, 2014.
  2. ^ A b East Coast Main Line IEP train order confirmed ( en ) Railway Gazette, Sutton (UK). July 18, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  3. ^ A b David Millward: Hitachi wins £ 1.2bn order for new intercity trains. The Telegraph, July 13, 2013, accessed January 7, 2015 .
  4. ^ The Intercity Express Program ( s ) Department for Transport, United Kingdom. October 3, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. ^ First new trains in a generation launched by GWR. Four British built trains carry passengers for the first time. In: gwr? Com. Great Western, October 17, 2017, accessed on June 27, 2020 (English): "The new Class 800, 10-carriage train has been built in Britain by Hitachi."
  6. ↑ Rail revolution: Azuma rollout underway . Railway Technology Magazine, September 10, 2019
  7. ↑ Department for Transport announces shortlist for Intercity Express Program ( en ) Department for Transport, United Kingdom. August 16, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  8. ^ Change to IEP short listed bidders ( en ) Department for Transport. June 26, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ Jonathan Browning: Barclays Withdraws From Hitachi's $ 11.4 Billion UK Train Bid. Bloomberg, February 26, 2010, accessed January 8, 2015 .
  10. ^ Agility Trains to supply Super Express fleet (en) . In: Railway Gazette International , February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. 
  11. ↑ Intercity train investment creates 900 jobs along with 596 railway carriages at a new train factory. ( en ) Department for Transport, United Kingdom. July 25, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  12. ^ A b Keith Barrow: Britain orders more Hitachi trains for the East Coast. International Railway Journal, July 18, 2013, accessed January 7, 2015 .
  13. ↑ a b Hitachi Super Express Trains, United Kingdom. railway-technology.com, accessed January 8, 2015 .
  14. ↑ a b East Coast Main Line IEP train order confirmed. Railway Gazette, July 18, 2013, accessed January 8, 2015 .
  15. ↑ MTU to supply diesel power packs for Intercity Express Program. Railway Gazette, September 19, 2012, accessed January 8, 2015 .
  16. ↑ Chris Tighe and Tanya Powley: Hitachi to open £ 82m train plan in Durham this year. Financial Times, January 11, 2015, accessed July 8, 2015 .
  17. ↑ Stefanie Browne: IEP Class 800 moves under its own power in tests. railmagazine.com, April 23, 2015, accessed July 8, 2015 .
  18. ^ Nigel Devereux: First UK-build IEP unveiled. In: Rail Express UK. January 20, 2017, accessed June 16, 2020 .
  19. ↑ a b First Hitachi Super Express Train on the rails. MTUreport, November 20, 2014 ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ↑ Hitachi Super Express Trains, United Kingdom. In: railway-technology.com. Kable, London, accessed on June 9, 2015 (other suppliers are named in the article).

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