Azuma train finally arrives May 16, 2019
The trains were introduced just before all operators introduced new May to December timetables on Sunday (May 19).
The first Azuma service between London and Leeds was introduced on Wednesday (May 15) and the first between London and Hull on Thursday (May 16).
The trains, built by Hitachi and branded Azuma for the East Coast Main Line, will be operating on the route between Leeds via Wakefield Westgate and Doncaster to London King's Cross and also between Hull, Selby and King’s Cross.
They are still not yet being implemented on the route from Scotland and the North East via York to London where there have been reports of the new trains causing problems with signals on older sections of track.
The trains were first unveiled back in 2016 by Virgin, which in partnership with Stagecoach then operated the East Coast route. The route is now run by UK Government-owned LNER.
The trains had been due to be introduced on public services last year.
The trains have been built in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham and in Japan. The LNER fleet will include both electric-only trains and bi-mode trains which burn diesel fuel away from lines which have not been electrified. While the new trains have a capabilty of 140mph, they will be restricted by the speed of the tracks they run on which will generally mean them running at the present 125mph maximum.
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