British Rail Class 805

The British Rail Class 805 AT300 is a type of bi-mode multiple unit which is being built by Hitachi Rail for Avanti West Coast. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, 13 five-car units are being built to replace Class 221s on services between London Euston and stations on the North Wales Coast and Shrewsbury lines. Their introduction will allow the elimination of long-distance diesel working on electrified routes.[5]

British Rail Class 805
AT300
An Avanti Class 805 at Crewe in 2023
In servicePlanned for late 2023[1]
ManufacturerHitachi Rail
Built at
Family nameA-train
ReplacedClass 221 (Avanti West Coast)
Constructed2021–present
Number under construction8
Number built5 [3]
Formation5 cars per unit
Fleet numbers805001–805013[4]
Capacity301 seats[5]
Owner(s)Rock Rail
Operator(s)Avanti West Coast
Depot(s)Oxley (Wolverhampton)
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium[6]
Car length26 m (85 ft 4 in)
Maximum speed125 mph (200 km/h)[7]
Weight
  • 5-car units: 243 tonnes (239 long tons; 268 short tons)
  • 9-car units: 438 tonnes (431 long tons; 483 short tons)[8]
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

In December 2019, Avanti West Coast placed an order for 13 five-car bi-mode units which will replace its Class 221 fleet, along with 10 Class 807 electric units as part of £350 million contract with Hitachi Rail.[9] All are scheduled to be in service by 2023. The trains are financed by Rock Rail West Coast, a joint venture between Rock Rail and Standard Life Aberdeen.[10] The trains will be maintained by a joint team of Alstom and Hitachi staff, alongside Class 807s, at Oxley depot near Wolverhampton.

Passenger facilities promised include free Wi-Fi, at-seat wireless inductive charging for electronic devices, 230 V sockets and USB sockets, a catering offer and a real-time passenger information system that can advise of connecting rail services.[11]

In June 2022, static testing commenced at Newton Aycliffe and dynamic testing followed in November.[12][13] Main line testing began in February 2023,[14] with introduction into service planned for later in the year.[15]

Fleet details
Class Operator Qty. Year built Cars per unit Unit nos.
805 Avanti West Coast 13 2021–present 5 805001–805013

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 805.
  1. "Rolling Stock Special: New Trains on order". Today's Railways UK. No. 241. March 2022. p. 30.
  2. Holden, Michael (3 July 2020). "First shells for Avanti West Coast Class 805s arrive in UK". RailAdvent. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  3. "First Avanti '805' accepted". Modern Railways. No. 900. September 2023. p. 82.
  4. Clinnick, Richard (9 June 2020). "Avanti confirms class numbers for Hitachi train order". Rail Magazine. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. Hewitt, Sam (7 January 2020). "Hitachi wins £350million order for new West Coast trains". The Railway Hub. Mortons Media Group. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. Wordsworth, Nigel (4 July 2020). "First bodyshells for Avanti West Coast's new trains arrive in the UK". Rail Insider. Rail Business Daily. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  7. "Speed limiters for Hitachi fleets". Traction & Stock. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 168, no. 1457. August 2022. p. 92.
  8. "Table 1: Inter City Express classes 800, 801 and 802" (PDF). RailEngineer. October 2017.
  9. "Avanti West Coast - What's in Store". Avanti West Coast. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. "Rock Rail and ASI close latest UK rolling stock deal". Rock Infrastructure. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  11. "First Trenitalia chooses Hitachi Rail to build new intercity trains for Avanti West Coast". Hitachi Rail UK. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  12. "Static testing begins on Avanti West Coast's new train fleet". 13 June 2022.
  13. "Dynamic Testing Begins on Avanti West Coast's Fleet of Hitachi Trains".
  14. UK2023-02-13T11:13:00+00:00, Railway Gazette (13 February 2023). "West Coast Main Line electro-diesels on test". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  15. Emmett, Conrad (13 July 2022). "Avanti's new 805 train pictured". railbusinessdaily.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
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