EMR unveils specification for new Midland main line bi-modes
While Hitachi’s inter-city trains are now a familiar sight on the UK network, the Aurora bi-modes ordered by East Midlands Railway are set to have a number of unique characteristics.
EMR has ordered 33x5-car Class 810 Aurora sets from Hitachi for Midland main line services, financed by Rock Rail. The first Aurora units are due to enter service in early 2023, with Hitachi targeting completion of the first pre-series unit at its Newton Aycliffe factory in County Durham by the end of this summer.
The Class 810s are based on Hitachi’s AT300 platform, but have been designed specifically for EMR’s requirements. Rather than the 26-metre vehicles elsewhere, the bodyshell has been redesigned for a shorter carriage length of 24 metres, enabling a pair of units to be accommodated in the platforms at St Pancras. A different front end design features a slightly shorter nose and repackaging of equipment in the space behind the driver’s cab; the cab is pretty much identical to that on other AT300 sets.
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For the Auroras, the requirement in the East Midlands franchise specification was that the bi-modes would be able to match the performance…
