A look back at 810 ‘Aurora’ units entering service

In the January issue of Rail Express Magazine Tony Miles reported on the first of 33 new Class 810 bi-mode trains which entered passenger service with East Midlands Railway on December 3.

Launch at Derby Etches Park

MORE than three years later than expected the new ‘Aurora’ fleet was formally launched at Derby Etches Park Depot, home base for the units, on November 20.

During the event EMR confirmed that the five-car sets will be phased into service over the next year and into 2027 as they are accepted and as staff training progresses.

At the event EMR stated that it had accepted four sets so far Nos. 810006, 008, 009 and 010 although it was noted that 008 and 009 need further rectification work before they are available for service. Set 810012 will be the next set accepted.

Whilst Hitachi declined to comment on the reasons for the lengthy delay in delivering the sets, except for highlighting the impact of Covid, EMR sources noted that whilst the sets appear similar to the manufacturer’s Class 80x design, the 810s borrow significantly from a design produced by AnsaldoBreda, which Hitachi acquired in 2015.

This has meant that as a completely new design the class has had to go through a full testing and approvals process, rather than the much simpler procedure that was needed for the Avanti ‘Evero’ Class 805 and 807 sets, for example.

One significant delay was caused by the need to rewire the first 12 Class 810 sets following a ‘thermal event’ in the first half of 2025.

Senior Projects Director at Hitachi Rail, David Harris explained: “It’s a complex platform; it’s a new design for the UK. There’s (sic) been some challenges in testing, but any issues we’ve had – 100% resolved.”

Performance and Technical Specification

One major difference is the requirement for the Aurora trains to match the performance of the 125 mph Class 222 sets when running in diesel mode; whilst bi-mode Class 802 units use three diesel engines, the 810s are fitted with four MTU engines, each rated at 735kW (986 hp) power output. Test drivers report that on diesel they are ‘on a par’ with the 222s, but on electric power they are described as “rapid”.

Drivers also report that sets running in electric mode require a significant easing of power on inclines where diesel Class 222s struggle to keep to line speed; the diesel power output should enable the 810s to keep to time if one engine is not working.

Engines are located under the four outer vehicles of each unit with the centre car carrying the transformer and other electrical equipment. Each unit will have two pantographs, one on each driving vehicle, while the traction motors will be on the second and fourth vehicles. In a departure from normal Hitachi practice the sets will usually use the rear pantograph when working, although when running in pairs, 125mph running will only be allowed with the first and last of the four pantographs raised.

The fleet has been financed by Rock Rail in a contract valued at around £400m; UK Managing Director and Chief Operations Officer Mike Kean stated: “This will be the best train on the network”.

Power changeover between modes is carried out manually, with one driver explaining: “There is signage on the track; as we go across that location we just press the relevant power mode that we want. It’s a one-button press and it seamlessly transitions over; so the pantograph will raise for electric and eventually the diesel engines will go through a cool-down cycle and eventually they’ll just shut off.”

Capacity and Passenger Environment

The five-car units will deliver a 24% increase in seat capacity and 19% more legroom, and when the fleet is fully deployed, EMR will have a substantial 46% increase in the total number of seats available for passengers; luggage capacity will also increase by 136%.

Although electrification of the Midland Main Line beyond Wigston to Sheffield has been paused indefinitely, the sets will still operate in electric mode for around 60% of their journeys, resulting in a reduction in carbon emissions of 66% on journeys between Sheffield/Nottingham and London. As well as AWS and TPWS equipment the sets are ‘ETCS-ready’ with very little work required to enable them to work in ETCS mode in the future.

Capacity of a five-car unit is 301, with 47 first class seats and 254 standard. Two wheelchair spaces are located in the first class area but users will only pay standard class fares. The real leather headrests on the ‘FISA Lean’ design selected by EMR expected to “wear in, not wear out” according to the company, noting that the ‘eLeather’ used on the Class 222s has not worn well.

Wi-fi is expected to be significantly better than on the Class 222 fleet whilst phone signals, which were partially blocked by the glass used on the Class 222s, expected to be much improved as the 810s use a different type of glass which does not pose the same problem.

Catering for first class passengers is provided from a galley located at the end of the DPTF vehicle, with a trolley for standard class passengers is housed in a dedicated area within one coach where a power supply and water top-up facilities are available. EMR’s new catering offer will see a move towards a much higher use of locally-sourced produce.

Luggage space is also improved, with three-level luggage stacks at the end of carriages, more space between and under seats and larger overhead racks.

Delivery and Fleet Strategy

Hitachi says that the units will now be delivered progressively over the next year with the aim of completing delivery of all 33 sets by December 2026. Currently approximately half of the fleet has been constructed at Newton Aycliffe, eight of which are on test, with the remainder in various stages of manufacture; the 24m aluminium bodies are the first to be welded on site at Hitachi’s new facility at Newton Aycliffe; the shorter bodies being needed to enable a 10-car set to fit into the platforms at St Pancras station.

Senior Projects Director at Hitachi Rail, David Harris explained “The immediate focus is this side of Christmas, to make sure at the start of passenger service, they’ve got enough trains. Then, after Christmas, we’re going to fall into two trains a month, finishing December 2026.”

Acceptance into the EMR fleet will require 1000 miles of fault-free running, with testing to be carried out on the ECML. A timescale has also been agreed for the gradual release of the remainder of the Class 222 fleet.

Managing Director Will Rogers explained that whilst other parts of the EMR fleet have been, or are being refurbished, the 810s ‘are the icing on the cake and true transformation’.

He explained that the first step will be to replace the 24 Class 222 diagrams (from 27 sets) with Class 810 sets before using additional units to create a number of 10-car formations, which will be targeted at services where demand for capacity is highest.

Asked about a target for availability in the longer-term Mr Rogers commented “I would love to get to about 31 trains in service every day if we can. That would match other fleets”, although his fleet colleagues suggested this may be a little optimistic. He also pointed out that EMR will have a homogenous fleet in the future, rather than a mix of five- and seven-car sets, which will also make planning and diagramming easier.

As regard journey times, there will be no changes while there’s a mixed fleet and then EMR will look at actual performance of the Auroras before making decisions going forward.

The sets are cleared to work to York, Skegness and Crewe, but there’s no plans for use on 2026 Skegness Summer services, though this could happen in 2027. The sets are not cleared via Hope Valley to Liverpool – and there are no plans to do so. The reason for this is that there was a past expectation on refranchising which would have seen the Nottingham-Liverpool route transfer to TPE, so that route was never in EMR’s long-term planning – and it’s all changed since Covid and the move to Great British Railways.