The five-car electro-diesel test train was built in Hitachi’s Kasado factory at Japan and arrived at the port of Southampton on June 17, with representatives of GWR, Hitachi and Eversholt Rail, which financed the fleet, present.
GWR will begin testing the train in the coming weeks, and the fleet, which will be used on services from London Paddington to Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance, will begin passenger operations in mid-2018.
The new fleet will provide more seats, better onboard facilities, real-time journey updates, seat reservation screens, and shorter journey times.
