The Engineer

Hitachi starts work on all-electric 803s for East Coast Trains

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Hitachi Rail has started work on building five new all-electric intercity trains for East Coast Trains at its Newton Aycliffe factory.

Despite the impact of Covid-19, Hitachi Rail has prepared the factory and is now ready to start manufacturing the East Coast Trains.

Bringing train-making back to its birthplace

Douglas McIlroy, Communications Manager at Hitachi Rail, told The Engineer that this fleet is the largest manufacturing scope to date, with nearly all of the build taking place at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham.

The increased scope will see Hitachi’s workforce create the new fleet from empty aluminium shells.

“This marks a steady progression for the North East train builder,” McIlroy said via email. “The site began by installing the interiors and fitting undercarriages for the Intercity Express Programme trains, then expanded to include wiring for ScotRail’s Class 385s, and now will build the driver’s cabs from scratch.”

Hitachi Rail are due to build more intercity orders this year, which will benefit from an £8.5m investment in welding and painting.

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