at
Hualien station,
Taiwan, May 2008 at
Krung Thep Aphiwat Station monorail in
Singapore uses A-Train derived monorail cars
Class 801 units passing at in August 2020
Nuriro EMU For their products overseas, the Hitachi A-train has different designations by Hitachi depending on their type. • AT100 = high-density urban trains • AT200 = suburban, commuter and regional trains. • AT300 = intercity high speed and long-distance trains • AT400 = high-speed 'bullet' trains Hitachi have been marketing the A-train family overseas. Both the
Chongqing Monorail in China and the
Sentosa Express Monorail in Singapore utilise A-train derived cars. In 2005 Hitachi received an order from
Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) for six 8-car trains, based on the Japanese
885 series, designated as TEMU1000, for operation on the main line between
Taipei and
Hualien. Deliveries of the trains began in late 2006, with the first public test of the new trains in March 2007. Two more sets were purchased in December 2014, and delivered in early 2016. In 2007,
Korail ordered eight 4-car express trains branded as the
Trunk-Line Electric Car (TEC) to Hitachi. The car bodies, bogies and power systems were made in Japan, but were assembled at SLS Heavy Industry in
Changwon, Korea. A significant number of the components were replaced by Korean parts. The trains were for deployment on "Rapid Train" services on the
Gyeongbu Line and
Janghang Line between
Seoul Station and
Sinchang station, branded
Nuriro and with a maximum speed of . In 2018, the
Taiwan Railway Administration placed a new order for 50 12-car
EMU3000 series sets, to be delivered between 2021 and 2024. The first set was delivered on July 31, 2021, with service entry scheduled for the end of the year. Between 2019 and 2021, the first Hitachi AT100 units arrived in
Bangkok for the
SRT Dark Red Line and
SRT Light Red Line, which opened on 2 August 2021. These trains are coloured red, and are very reminiscent of a typical Japanese commuter train. 15 units form 6-car sets, while 10 form 4-car sets.
United Kingdom The United Kingdom became the first country outside Japan to place a major conventional rail order for Hitachi when
Southeastern ordered 29
electric multiple units for use on domestic services on the
High Speed 1 line. These are designated as
Class 395 units, which are
standard gauge with the ability to operate at speeds of up to . Hitachi gained further ground in the UK market when it was announced in 2009 that an A-train based design similar to that of the Class 395, initially named the
Hitachi Super Express, was the preference for the government's
Intercity Express Programme tender to replace
InterCity 125 and
InterCity 225 sets on the
Greater Western and
InterCity East Coast lines. These units were classified as
Class 800 electro-diesel 'bi-mode' units (powered by AC overhead wires where available, and by underfloor diesel generators beyond the extents of electrification) and
Class 801 electric multiple units sets powered purely by AC overhead wires. The train specification allows for the conversion of Class 800s to Class 801s, as it is assumed that
electrification will continue to expand. The units would form as part of the Hitachi AT300 product, joining the Class 395 in the same family. at
St Pancras in 2009 The choice of Hitachi units was controversial, as it would see little final manufacturing in the UK in comparison to the foreign-owned but domestically manufactured Bombardier option, leading to a campaign to reverse the decision. However, it was economics that became a sticking point, with the weight of the Bombardier design creeping up. The decision was postponed due to the difficulty of government borrowing. After winning the franchise,
Abellio ScotRail announced they would purchase Hitachi AT200 trains (designated as
Class 385) for their commuter services. In March 2015, after the initial order of the Class 800 units,
Great Western Railway (or First Great Western as it was at the time) ordered 29 bi-mode
Class 802 units which would also join the AT300 product. These units have little difference over the Class 800 units, except that the 802s have a higher power output as-built to cope with gradients in Devon and Cornwall, and have larger fuel tanks. Being bi-mode, they will use overhead electric power between
London Paddington and
Newbury stations. Having initially ordered 29 units, it was later announced that there would be an increase of up to 36 units on order. The first of the Class 800s entered service with GWR in October 2017 and the first of the Class 802s entered service with GWR in August 2018, with all of the units branded as
Intercity Express Trains (IET) by GWR. during testing in 2015The first unit with
London North Eastern Railway (the current holder of the InterCity East Coast franchise) entered service in May 2019 after a delay, with their first trains in service being Class 800s. Their Class 801s entered service afterwards in September 2019. Separately from GWR, these trains are branded as
Azuma, which is 'east' in Japanese. Many other UK operators have bought Hitachi AT300 trains, including orders for Class 802 units by
TransPennine Express (branded as
Nova 1) and
Hull Trains (branded as
Paragon).
East Midlands Railway have ordered
Class 810 units (branded as
Aurora),
Lumo purchased
Class 803 units and
Avanti West Coast have ordered
Class 805 and
Class 807 units (branded as
Evero).'''' In December 2024, Hitachi Rail stated in a press release that it had entered into a contract with
FirstGroup and
Angel Trains to lease 14 new five-car electric, battery-electric or bi-mode trains for First Rail's open-access operations, which will be manufactured at
Newton Aycliffe, with their delivery expected to commence in late 2027. These trains will be used on a newly announced London-Carmarthen route, and to increase the number of carriages on the existing Lumo and Hull Trains services. The agreement includes an option to add 13 more trains to the order if more of First Rail's recently submitted open-access applications are successful. In April 2025,
Grand Central announced plans to order a fleet of 9 new five-car tri-mode trains, built by Hitachi Rail. These are planned for delivery in 2028 and will be known as the
Class 820. == References ==