British Rail Class 802


The British Rail Class 802 AT300 is a type of bi-mode multiple unit train built by Hitachi for Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains.
Based on the design of the Hitachi A-train, the train is part of the Hitachi AT300 product family. Each train operating company has also given their own units a unique brand; Great Western Railway's units are branded as Intercity Express Trains , TransPennine Express units are branded as Nova 1s and Hull Trains' units are branded as Paragons.

History

In mid-2015, Great Western Railway said it had arranged to procure 173 new rail vehicles from Hitachi Rail, with options for another 150. At the time, GWR was beginning the process of introducing a new fleet of intercity trains as part of the Government's Intercity Express Programme. This project involved the procurement of both wholly electric units, and "bi-mode" trains, powered by electric traction motors capable of running from overhead electric wires or on-board diesel generators. These trains were intended to replace the existing High Speed Trains following the electrification of the Great Western Main Line. However, electrification will only go as far as Cardiff Central, with the route beyond requiring diesel traction.
The purchase of 173 additional vehicles was with the intention that these new bi-mode trains, similar to the Class 800s, would be used on services into Devon and Cornwall. These trains would consist of 22 five-car and 7 nine-car units. The option for a further 150 vehicles would be formed into another 30 five-car units.
Initially, owing to Hitachi's facility at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham being at capacity, the intention was to construct the trains at the Kasado factory in Kudamatsu in Japan. However, following Hitachi's purchase of the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda, construction was moved to Hitachi's Pistoia plant, with the first unit being completed in February 2018.
The trains were expected to enter service with GWR from 2018, with the aim of reducing journey times from London to Exeter by up to five minutes, to Plymouth by up to six minutes, and to Penzance by up to 14 minutes.

Operation

The Class 802s are broadly identical to the bi-mode trains used in the Intercity Express Programme, and are used in a similar way; they run as electric trains where possible, and are equipped with the same diesel generator engines as the Class 800. However, they utilise higher engine operating power - per engine as opposed to - and are fitted with larger fuel tanks to cope with the gradients and extended running in diesel mode expected on the long unelectrified stretches they will operate on.

Great Western Railway

GWR took delivery of 36 sets in 2017 and 2018: 22 five-car and 14 nine-car sets, an increase from the 29 sets initially ordered in 2015.
Main line testing of the Class 802 began in Somerset in August 2017. They were due to be introduced on 16 July 2018. A demonstration run for invited guests from Penzance to Exeter St Davids was held on 17 August 2018. The first two units entered traffic the following day on 18 August 2018, on a Bristol Temple Meads to Swansea service. The same units were first used in passenger service in Cornwall on 20 August 2018, with the service from London Paddington to and the return to London.

Hull Trains

In November 2016, Hull Trains said it would buy five five-car AT300 sets to replace the Alstom Class 180 diesel multiple-units which it currently uses on the Hull to London service. The first body shell was completed at the Kasado plant in August 2018. Driver training on Class 802s, using stock delivered to TransPennine Express, began in August 2019. In the same month Hull Trains announced that its new train would be known as the Paragon, named after.
On 7 November 2019, Hull Trains took delivery of their first unit. This unit was used in the official launch of the Paragon fleet on 25 November, where the full livery was unveiled at Hull station. This same unit that was unveiled entered service on Thursday 5 December working the 10:33 Hull to London King's Cross, and the 13:48 return working.
802201 on test at King's Cross station

TransPennine Express

TransPennine Express will operate 19 five-car Class 802 sets, primarily on the North Transpennine Line between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. These trains were initially given the Class 803 designation, before being redesignated as 802/2s prior to delivery of the first unit. Production began in December 2017, and testing began on the East Coast Main Line during July 2018, with the fleet due to enter service from summer 2019. TransPennine Express formally accepted the first of their Class 802 trains in July 2019. TransPennine Express have branded their new overall fleet as Nova, with each of its new types designated as either '1', '2' or '3' - the Class 802s are to be termed as Nova 1.
The first Nova 1 entered revenue earning service on 28 September 2019, with unit 802201 working the 06:03 from Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street and the return 09:25 service.

Named trains

Great Western Railway's Intercity Express Trains are being named after "inspirational people" who have influenced the regions that the company serves.
Unit numberDateName
80200813 April 2019Rick Rescorla / RNLB Solomon Browne
8020118 December 2018Captain Robert Falcon Scott / Sir Joshua Reynolds
8020139 April 2019Michael Eavis
8020207 July 2020NHS Key Workers
80210128 November 2019Nancy Astor

802301 at London Kings Cross.

Fleet details

Incidents

On 14 September 2018 the 14:00 GWR Penzance to Paddington service broke down at 17:15 just north of Exeter. Passengers had to be removed from the train with ladders and transferred to another train.
During testing of a Class 802 on the evening of 16 October 2018 ahead of its handover to GWR, severe damage was caused to of overhead power lines in the Hanwell area, outside London Paddington station. This led to service cancellations and delays that night and the following two days.