Hitachi is to build 70 new electric multiple units (EMUs) for ScotRail’s new operator Abellio.
The new trains, which will be delivered as 46 three-car and 24 four-car units, will initially go into operation on the newly electrified line from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley and the Stirling – Alloa – Dunblane lines from 2017.
Abellio will begin operating the new 10-year ScotRail franchise from April 2015. A spokesman for the operator suggested that its new fleet proposal with Hitachi was a “major feature” of its winning bid.
Andy Barr, Hitachi Rail Europe’s chief operating officer, said: “This is great news, as it is the first contract for our recently launched AT200 commuter train.
“These trains will be built at Hitachi’s new Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Facility in Newton Aycliffe, complementing the delivery of the Class 800 and 801 trains for the Intercity Express Programme, boosting jobs and growth in the North East.”
The AT200 is Hitachi’s ‘next generation’ commuter and suburban train, designed to challenge the dominance of the Electrostar and Desiro in the UK and look to take advantage of the huge market in Europe for electric multiple units (EMUs).
Someone must be able to come up with a better solution than those fugly end doors
If Hitachi are to build the AT200 commuter trains for Abellio Scotrail (Abellio Scotland Railway) then what about Abellio Greater Anglia to get the new Hitachi AT200 commuter trains to replace the Class 321’s and 317’s that would improve better services in/out of Liverpool Street to Cambridge, Essex, Norwich & East Anglia. The AT200 would be classified for AGA as Class 328 or Class 329 and Scotrail as Class 342 or Class 348.