The first of 19 five-carriage AT300 electric-diesel trains ordered from Hitachi Rail Europe (www.hitachirail-eu.com) by Angel Trains for the TransPennine Express set sail from Japan on 20 April. The journey to the UK is expected to take two months; the train will then undergo testing in northern England, before entering into service in the summer of 2019.

The AT300 trains for the TransPennine Express inter-city services (from Liverpool to Manchester, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh) were ordered in March 2016.

Designated Class 802/2 and branded Nova 1 by the operator, they are closely related to the Class 800 electro-diesel trains being supplied by Hitachi under the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme.

The first three trains are being built at Hitachi’s plant in Kasado, Japan; the rest will be built in Europe. Hitachi says more than 30 UK suppliers will be involved in the project, which will support ‘thousands of jobs in the UK’.

The trains have a design speed of 200kph when solely powered by their Rolls-Royce MTU diesel engines — and 225kph when in 25kV 50Hz electric mode.

First Group company TransPennine Express has ordered two other fleets of new stock. Spanish manufacturer CAF and leasing company Eversholt Rail are supplying 12 five-car inter-city EMUs (to be known as Nova 2), which will be used from autumn 2019 on services from Manchester Airport and Liverpool to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

CAF is also supplying the Nova 3 fleet of 12 five-car sets of push-pull coaches (financed by Beacon Rail) for use between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York, Scarborough and Middlesbrough.

A feature article on the CAF Nova 3 fleet will be published in the May 2018 issue of Railway Gazette International magazine.