UK-based train operating company Virgin Trains’ new Azuma Class 800 trains will run on the East Coast Main Line in the UK from 2018. The new trains are part of the UK rail network’s £5.7bn (approximately $7.71bn) Intercity Express Programme.
The first train of the class was unveiled in March 2016, while the first test run of the Azuma train took place on 16 August 2017 in Scotland as part of a rail connectivity improvement programme between Edinburgh and London.
Virgin’s fleet will comprise 65 trains and is expected to reduce the journey times between Edinburgh and London by 22 minutes, bringing the total journey time down to just four hours. The trains will be the first cross-border fleet passing through stations across the north and east of the UK.
Hitachi is manufacturing the trains, with the body shells being fabricated in Kasado, Japan, and transported to its rail vehicle manufacturing facility located in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/virgin-trains-azuma-trains