It was perhaps an inevitable first outing for a train service whose development has been plagued by overspending and delay. The first Intercity Express train to carry passengers down the part-modernised Great Western Railway from Bristol arrived in London 41 minutes late, with its air-conditioning switched off, passengers standing in the aisles and rows of its ergonomic seats roped off due to a leak.
The brand-new Hitachi Class 800 train, the first of a new fleet assembled in Britain at a cost of £5.7bn, left Bristol Temple Meads 25 minutes later than the scheduled 6am departure on Monday morning. It lost further time en route, while some passengers had to take evasive action after liquid started dripping from an air-conditioning unit overhead, the BBC reported.
Manufacturer Hitachi said a “minor technical issue” had caused the delay.
Some of the things I haven't seen you tweet about yet @GWRHelp are the sectioned off wet seats due to leaks on your new train #GWRNewTrains pic.twitter.com/FSxkfvHrQK
— Craig McCrum (@craigmccrum) October 16, 2017
Disgruntled passengers reported continued overcrowding, despite the promise of a better service.
#GWRNewTrains promised to improv capacity, punctuality & psngr experience but we see again people standing, 30min delay & technical faults pic.twitter.com/wAP4yUdMgY
— Omar Al Assil (@omarassil) October 16, 2017
The trains are bi-mode, operating on both diesel and electric power, a necessity after the delayed – and partially abandoned – electrification of the route west from London Paddington. However, when the major work on the track has been completed, due in December 2018, passengers are promised faster journeys and more services – amounting to 4,000 more seats into Paddington in the morning rush hour.
The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, said – before the delayed 6am departure from Bristol Temple Meads on Monday morning: “I’m pleased to be on the very first of these brand new trains to welcome them into action.”
“This government is investing record amounts to modernise Britain’s rail network and give passengers the faster, more comfortable trains and the better journeys that they expect. These new state-of-the-art trains show our commitment to put passengers at the heart of everything that we do and will carry people across Britain, from Swansea to Aberdeen and London to Inverness.”
GWR will receive 57 such trains to replace its fleet of Intercity 125s, a model first introduced in 1976. The trains, assembled at Hitachi’s plant in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham, and will also be introduced on the east coast route.
Karen Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: “Nine years of hard work has gone into making today happen, from creating a brand new factory and workforce, to establishing modern maintenance facilities from Swansea to London.
“We’ve delivered pioneering 21st century trains for passengers to enjoy and sparked a manufacturing renaissance in the north-east.”
