The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) was an initiative of the Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line. These new trains were designed and produced by Hitachi as part of their A-train family, classified as Class 800 electro-diesel units and Class 801 electric multiple units. Hitachi categorises the units as a part of the AT300 family and has referred to them as the Hitachi Super Express Train.
The IEP was launched by the DfT in 2005, at which point it was focused on procuring a replacement for the Intercity 125. In November 2007, an invitation to tender was sent to three shortlisted entities: Alstom-Barclays Rail Group; Express Rail Alliance (Bombardier, Siemens, Angel Trains and Babcock & Brown); and Hitachi Europe. On 12 February 2009, the British Government announced that Agility Trains had been selected as the preferred bidder for the contract; at this point, the pending contract, which included replacements for both Intercity 125 and 225 trains, had an estimated value of £7.5bn. The final decision on the contact's awarding, as well as its value and composition, which was originally expected by early 2009, was delayed by several years. One key cause of delays was the preparation of plans to electrify parts of the railway network, which would affect the final order. Other factors include the 2010 general election and by an independent 'value for money' report published in July 2010.
During March 2011, the final decision was taken to proceed with the IEP and to electrify the Great Western Main Line. An initial £4.5 billion order for 596 carriages for use on the East Coast and Great Western main lines was announced in July 2012. One year later, a £1.2bn option for a further 30 nine-car electric trains to replace the Intercity 225 on the East Coast Main Line was also taken up. During May 2016, it was confirmed by the DfT that, because of the late delivery of the Great Western electrification project, 21 "Class 801" trains would be converted to bi-mode operation and thus an increased number of trains would be diesel-equipped instead. Assembly of the majority of the trains took place at Hitachi's new train manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, the construction of which taking place between 2013 and 2015. Furthermore, several new maintenance depots were constructed to support the IEP, these being the Doncaster Carr depot, Filton Triangle (Stoke Gifford), Maliphant Sidings (Swansea), and at the former Eurostar North Pole depot.
During January 2015, the first IEP train departed Hitachi's Kasado factory; post-delivery testing commenced at Old Dalby Test Track shortly after its arrival in the UK. The planned introduction of the IEP, more specifically its lack of guards and reduced catering facilities, led to industrial action being taken by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). In October 2017, the first train went into service on the Great Western Mainline. In addition to those units ordered under the IEP initiative, numerous follow-on orders were received from First Great Western, Hull Trains, TransPennine Express, Lumo, East Midlands Railway, and Avanti West Coast. These newer units often feature various changes and improvements, including larger fuel tanks, more powerful engine arrangements, and shortened vehicles; they have been used to increase capacity or replace other train sets, such as the Class 180 and Class 221 Super Voyagers.
History Tender and specifications The programme to procure a replacement for the Intercity 125 fleet was launched by the DfT in 2005.Intercity rail travel presentation to the Institute of Mechanical engineers, Slide 16. In March 2007, the DfT published an OJEU notice (2007/S 48-059536,Invitation to Tender (op. cit.). 2.1.1 Overview of the Procurement contract title: Intercity Express Programme (IEP), previously referred to as HST2) announcing its intention to seek an organisation to finance, build, construct facilities (depots) for, and maintain over a period of around 30 years a new set of high-speed trains for the UK rail network, to be used by train operating companies. Initial estimates were for an order of between 500 and 2,000 vehicles.
The initial official train specifications for the tender were published in November 2007.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Document History, p. 7. Three versions of train were asked for: electrically powered via 25 kV AC 50 Hz overhead line, a self-powered version, and a 'bi-mode' version.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.1.2 Train Types, pp. 12-13.
The maximum allowed train length was 312 m, the minimum ('half-length') approximately 130 m. Trainsets were to be available in half-length, full-length (260 m), or intermediate-length versions, with the ability to lengthen and shorten trains in a time which would minimise that spent out of service.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.3 Train Formation and Length, p. 15. Also specified was the ability for multiple working within any vehicle of the class (two units), with the time taken to couple or uncouple being 180 seconds or better,IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.2 Multiple working, p. 14. and the ability to convert a bi-mode or self-powered train to an electrically powered version in the future.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.1.3 Flexibility, p. 13. Bi-mode trains were required to be able to switch between power sources both whilst stationary and at speed. AWS, TPWS signalling was to be fitted dependent on route as well as ETCS Level 2 equipment.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 4.12 Train Control, pp. 32-34.
The tender contained proposals for trains to enter service at the beginning of 2013, with complete introduction in the first phase on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) by late 2016 and on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) by 2017.Invitation to Tender. 1.3.2 Availability Requirements, pp. 14–17. The trains were to be used on the ECML and GWML, with possible use on the southern part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the Fen Line, and other long distance intercity services.Invitation to Tender. 1.3 IEP Scope, p. 13. Phase 1 of the tender specified an operational fleet of 24 full- and 13 half-length electric, and 10 full- and 12 half-length trains for the ECML, 24 full-length trains (self-powered), and 38 half-length bi-mode trains for the GWML. Additional trains were expected for Phase 2 of the order: around 15 full-, 14 half-, and 10 intermediate-length trains for the ECML, WCML, GWML and Cross Country routes, as well as the potential for orders of over 20 trains from Transport Scotland.
The maximum weight of a full-length train was 362 tonnes (electric), 385 tonnes (bi-mode) and 392 tonnes (self-powered), with expected weights of around 332, 350 and 368 tonnes respectively or better.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.6 Weight, p. 16. The minimum top speed was , with a minimum acceleration for all subtypes in both full- and half-length formations of over from starting to over .IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.7 Performance, pp. 16-18.
The specification required significant improvements in energy efficiency over InterCity 125 trainsets that were fitted with MTU engines and electric Intercity 225 trainsets; regenerative braking on both self-powered and electric versions was expected to form part of the solution to increase efficiency.IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.8 Efficiency & Environment, pp. 18-20. Mean distances between failure were expected to be better than 60,000 miles (electric power) and 30,000 miles (self-powered mode).IEP-TEHC-REQ-35. Section 3.17 Reliability, pp. 23-24.
In November 2007, a contract award was expected in late 2008 or early 2009, with service trials beginning in 2012, and the trains in service on the GWML and ECML by 2015. The first tranche was expected to be for approximately 850 vehicles, with a maximum of 1500 vehicles subject to further orders being given.
On 16 November 2007, the Department for Transport issued its IEP Invitation to Tender to three shortlisted entities: Alstom-Barclays Rail Group; Express Rail Alliance (Bombardier, Siemens, Angel Trains and Babcock & Brown); and Hitachi Europe. After Alstom withdrew from the bidding in February 2008, Barclays Private Equity re-entered the project on 26 June 2008, four days before the end of the bidding process, as a partner of Hitachi and John Laing, in Agility Trains.
On 12 February 2009, the Government announced that Agility Trains was the preferred bidder for the contract, with the Siemens-Bombardier consortia as reserve bidders – the value of the contract was then estimated at £7.5bn, including replacements for both Intercity 125 and 225 trains. The decision was criticised for not awarding the contract to the Bombardier/Siemens offer which was expected to have resulted in work for Bombardier's Derby factory. The DfT was also accused of 'spin' in describing the Agility trains consortium as a 'British led consortium' and Hitachi's manufacturing plans attracted concern for reasons such as balance of payments issues, the Japanese domestic railway market being largely closed to foreign entrants, and the extent to which jobs would be safeguarded or created in the UK.
In addition to replacing trains on the ECML and GWML, a role was identified for the design to replace other 'intercity' trains such as on long distance services from London to places including Cambridge, Oxford, Hull and Weston-super-Mare.
Agility Trains – Hitachi Super Express
The preferred bidder, Agility Trains, offered a design named the Hitachi Super Express Train.
Agility Trains claimed that the proposed designs included a reduction in weight of the train of 15–40% per seat (86 tonnes less in total than an Intercity 125), and reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15%, using a hybrid traction power supply (see also Hayabusa (experimental train)). The trains were to be supplied with either five or ten coaches, with each coach being , longer than British Rail Mark 3 and Mark 4 coaches. Assembly of the trains was to take place in the UK, using Japanese-built bodyshells, with a new factory being established. Additionally new depots for train maintenance were to be constructed.
The full- and half-length trains were to be approximately respectively – the 26 m carriages were to be of aluminium construction, with the power cars of steel. The quoted tare masses for full-length trains (412.5 tonnes for the electric version) exceeded the tender's essential requirements (TS196) by up to 50 tonnes (electric version), power available for traction was quoted at 4 MW (all full-length versions), with a starting tractive effort of 400 kN, and a maximum acceleration of . Train seating capacity in an intercity layout was 649 in a full-length electric train, reduced to 610 in a bi-mode train and 552 in a self-powered train, with standard class seat pitches of in 'airline' formation, and in bay seats. Seat pitch was reduced to in interurban and commuter layouts. The design had increased seating space in electrically powered versions, with driving power cars also containing passengers.
The train used distributed traction; the end (driving) cars in a train would have contained either transformer and rectifier, or hybrid electrical generation apparatus and rectifier, depending on version, but would not have powered axles. The passenger carriages could be powered, with a traction converter supplied by the train's power bus, or unpowered, trailer vehicles. In ten-car trains the formation was (2'2')(Bo'Bo')(2'2')(Bo'Bo')(2'2')(Bo'Bo')(2'2')(Bo'Bo')(Bo'Bo')(2'2'), in five-car trains (2'2')(Bo'Bo')(Bo'Bo')(Bo'Bo')(2'2'). The trains could also be configured in formations from 5 to 12 carriages.