Rail Delivery Group has said that companies are making safety their priority and are working together to get passengers moving on routes affected by problems with Hitachi’s high-speed trains.
Cracks, according to the Rail Delivery Group, have been found on the train carriage lifting points that are blocks of aluminium that sit under the train carriage.
These lifting points are not used as part of normal service but are used in depots when the train comes in for maintenance. However, there is a risk that they could become dislodged.
A spokesperson for RDG said, “Hitachi, the rail regulator and train operators will not put trains back into service until they are all confident it is safe to do so.”
Operators are now coming together to keep passengers moving whilst trains are out of service:
- Operators are working to bring affected trains back in service
- LNER is bringing back two Intercity 225 trains early and will be in service this week.
- CrossCountry is operating shuttle services between Swindon and Bristol TempleMeads
- Great Northern is running 12 carriage trains, instead of 8, at peak times between London, Peterborough and Stevenage.
- Transport for Wales and South Western Railway have also strengthened services where possible.
The current update from Rail Delivery Group on services is as follows:
- GWR long-distance services are heavily impacted and passengers are advised not to travel.
- LNER is running a limited service with no trains north of Edinburgh.
- TransPennine Express is running an amended service, with Liverpool to Newcastle services cancelled at York.
- ScotRail is running a normal service with some reduced carriages
- Hull Trains is able to run a normal service with their trains passed fit to run
Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We are sorry for any disruption experienced by passengers as a result of the necessary withdrawal of Hitachi trains on some routes. While the vast majority of the network remains unaffected, we understand that any disruption is frustrating, however, our passengers’ safety must always be our first priority.
“Rail companies are working closely together to minimise any impact of the Hitachi recall wherever possible, including loaning alternative trains across the network, installing shuttle services and offering cross ticket acceptance for alternative routes.
“We also continue to work closely with Hitachi to finalise a plan to bring as many trains back in to service as quickly as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, passengers are advised that there is likely to be a reduced service on affected routes for some time so passengers should check their train operator’s website for the latest information.”
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Responses
When will the class 91s be withdrawn
Brilliant news. Class 91+MK4s should stay until Hitachi fixes the cracks on the LNER Class 800 & Class 801 Azumas.
This is the result of buying everything on price not quality and putting the whole future of our railway in the hands of an American bus operator and civil servants whose are soley intersested in cost and profit.We need to reintroduce British Engineering and design,take away decision making from organisations who know the price of everything and the value of nothing
It’s was British engineering and design that brought us the Class 50. And what does an American bus operator (who exactly?) have to do with the Class 800s?
I made this point in a reply to BBC comment page e few days ago. Said bring back to HST 125’s. Run for decades with no problems. Built to last!
For goodness sake! “Train station” is bad enough, but “train carriage”? Come on Railadvent. Speak English not American!
Hi,
Thanks for the feedback.
We used the same terminology to describe the problem as written in the press release issued by the Rail Delivery Group.
Regards,
Alan
If it’s not a train carriage what is it??
Maybe this will teach people to trust British design and fabrication rather than buying in seemingly “greener pastures” rolling stock.
“ However, due in part to the over-complexity of the design, the class was plagued with reliability problems which resulted in frequent service failures and cancellations.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_50
Although I do hope the Hitechi Azuma Trains do get resolved, and hopefully return to the rails of the mainline network within the foreseeable future…
It’ll also be exciting to see (at least 2) ex-BR Intercity 225 express trains be brought back to fill the void, let alone a surprise comeback on the East Coast Mainline,
I always kenw the Intercity 225 would hopefully make a surprise comeback, even if its only to fill in for the currently withdrawn Hitechi Azuma Expresses.
It’s rediculous 5 class 91s have already been scrapped and they were perfect for the 30 years they were in service for while their replacement lasted about 2 years before problems occured