High-speed Hitachi Train Ready for UK

The first six-car Class 395 unit needed to provide domestic rail services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is ready to be shipped to the UK, train manufacturer Hitachi Rail Systems says.

The train, which will be leased to UK rail operator Southeastern by HSBC Rail, is the first of 26 trains made for HSBC in a £260m order.

The trains will provide high-speed domestic services into St Pancras using the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from 2009, and will also be used to ferry passengers to and from Stratford International during the 2012 Olympic Games.

On the High Speed 1 route between Ashford and London St Pancras the trains will have a top speed of 186mph, while on routes to and from Dover they will have a top speed of 100mph.