East Coast Main Line: Trains

(asked on )

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Azuma trains planned for the East Coast Main Line are appropriate for that line.


This question was answered on 15th October 2018

The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) is a government-led investment to deliver new trains onto the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Mainline. The specification of the trains was developed to deliver the outcomes the Department wanted to achieve with the new fleet, including more passenger seats, reduced journey times and increased reliability. This specification included an extensive, award winning consultation process involving numerous passenger groups representing commuters, cyclists, wheel chair users and visually impaired travellers.

Ahead of introduction of the new trains, there is a comprehensive programme of testing to demonstrate the trains can run safely on the line. The Department along with Hitachi Rail Europe (HRE), Network Rail (NR) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are working together to bring these trains into passenger service as soon as possible. The full benefits of this programme will be delivered once the full fleet is in service.

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