LNER Class 800 “Azuma’s” entering in service.

[TravisM]

As a regular visitor to Peterborough railway station, there are posters saying that their “new Azuma trains” are entering service from the start of the Summer timetable but I’m scratching my head as to where the trains are?  The first diagram is the one that starts and finishes at Hull so they can return the former East Midlands Trains HST set and according to a LNER driver I spoke to last week, he said that LNER were going to introduce one set a week whilst rolling his eyes with the expression “yeah right”.

 

The question I need to ask is are the trains ready for service as far as the nine car 800/1’s, I’ve seen all of them bar 106 and 108 but it seems that the Virgin liveried 800101 has disappeared from the face of the earth.  The five car 800/2’s, only 201 and 202 are running around but in plain white, and that also applies to 801101 and 102.  Nine car 801201, again in plain white is the only one of that sub-class I’ve seen.

 

Does anyone know what the status is of sets available or close to being available for the start of the summer timetable?

[Trev52A]

Ha! 800 108 was in Newcastle today - arrived from the north about lunch time and returned whence it came (?) after about ten minutes (empty, of course.) I thought it made an interesting comparison with an Aberdeen-bound HST departing alongside it.

 

 

Sorry, don't have any background info.

 

Trevor

 

[4630]

Not sure which sets are working,  but as I understand it the first public LNER Azuma services are on Wednesday 15th May;

 

1D11  11.03 London Kings Cross - 13.19 Leeds

1A33  13.45 Leeds - 15.59 London Kings Cross

 

On Thursday 16th May the Azuma will start with the morning service from Hull;

 

3A12  04.50 Doncaster IEP - 06.09 Hull

1A12  07.00 Hull - 09.51 London Kings Cross

The set then works 1D11/1A33 London Kings Cross-Leeds and return service to the above timings, before working

1H10  17.18 London Kings Cross - 20.03 Hull

 

HTH

 

 

 

[adb968008]

 

one here last saturday, inbetween the 3 sleepers, 3 LEs, 12 91’s, 6 HSTs all in 4 hours of a saturday morning,

Edited May 11, 2019 by adb968008

[Caledonian]

15 hours ago, Trev52A said:

Ha! 800 108 was in Newcastle today - arrived from the north about lunch time and returned whence it came (?) after about ten minutes (empty, of course.) I thought it made an interesting comparison with an Aberdeen-bound HST departing alongside it.

 

 

Sorry, don't have any background info.

 

Trevor

 

 

They have been intermittently lurking in Heaton Depot for a few weeks now. 

[Caledonian]

An unliveried one still hiding round the back of Heaton yesterday afternoon

[black and decker boy]

Released to the press today with a launch at KGX

 

East Coast Main Line Azuma trains launch on London to Leeds route https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48268860

[Sprintex]

BOOOOOOO !!! 

 

 

Paul 

[multivac]

What a boring launch no cute character (person in suit) to promote the train, no special packed lunches being on sale in the shape of  the train, no inflatable cushions being handed out for the Standard Class punters to rest their bottoms on. It is supposed to be the "Japan-UK Season of Culture” but I didn't see anything to promote this either. I hope LNER haven't upset H as they are very honoured to supply trains to the country where railways began.

 

As japan sees it.

 

I would expect all the railfans to have piled into the HST on the next platform. Yesterday, 16th this happened "JR East Shinkansen ALFA-X prototype hits 320 kph in test run in northeastern Japan" - just a gnats whisker off 200mph and they will be increasing line speed to 360kph. Line speed of the Azuma is 200kph on a railway with weeds growing all over it what an embarrassment.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by multivac

[Butler Henderson]

LNER are using Azumas to work additional Leeds-Harrogate service this coming weekend and the next in connection with the World Cycling Championships

From Leeds at 1146, 1246, 1350, 1447, 1549, 1636 and 1802

From Harrogate at 1628, 1728, 1843,1910, 2029, 2124 and 2233

https://www.lner.co.uk/our-destinations/travel-inspiration/uci-road-world-championships/

[AMJ]

LNER are supposed to be putting into service during the next few weeks pairs of 801's onto the Leeds service to free up 800's for the trains through York to the north.

[Clearwater]

I saw what looked like several Azumas stabled at Eastleigh earlier today.  Does anyone know why they’re there?

[keefer]

Some sort of commissioning work according to this thread:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94506-class-800-updates/&do=findComment&comment=3672263

 

[woodenhead]

Video of an 18 car lash up here at Basingstoke:

 

[4630]

45 minutes ago, AMJ said:

LNER are supposed to be putting into service during the next few weeks pairs of 801's onto the Leeds service to free up 800's for the trains through York to the north.

 

A pair of 801s was introduced onto the Leeds service with effect from 16th September, with 801109 & 801110 doing the honours.

 

https://twitter.com/LNER/status/1173498965360349184

 

[Luke Piewalker]

When I was in York the other week there was 1400ish Departure starting at York for London.

[TravisM]

3 hours ago, 4630 said:

 

A pair of 801s was introduced onto the Leeds service with effect from 16th September, with 801109 & 801110 doing the honours.

 

https://twitter.com/LNER/status/1173498965360349184

 

 

Which was cancelled at Peterborough on Tuesday doing a KX-Newark service as 801109 developed a fault on the DSD.  The driver was under training and it was his first day on the road driving one lol.

[Trev52A]

The 12.00 Edinburgh-Kings Cross was formed of Azuma 800 111 today (Thurday 19th September), nicely on time at Newcastle 13.27/13.29  

800 111 arriving at Newcastle on 19th Sept 2019.

In Platform 1 in the background is TPE-liveried 802 201 (presumably driver training?)

 

Trevor

[melmerby]

I see that this weekend Zoomers will be venturing up (part of) the WCML

Diverted north of Newcastle via the Tyne Valley route to Carlisle and the onward to Glasgow/Edinburgh

I assume they can now use the bi-modes on diesel for the Newcastle-Carlisle stretch rather than dragging all electric trains.

1S19 (800111) is in Carlisle as I type, having taken 75 mins to get from Newcastle.

Edited September 22, 2019 by melmerby

[Trev52A]

@ melmerby

 

That's right - I was out photographing yesterday in the Blaydon area (see a few of my pics in the 'HST photos & videos' thread of the UK Prototype Discussions section) and got this view at Derwenthaugh

 

'Azuma' westbound at Derwenthaugh on 21st Sept 2019.

This went through at 14.00 so it would have been the 13.50 out of Newcastle if anyone could supply me with the actual identity of the set, please. This was the second one I saw in action that day - I didn't get the number either (or a picture) of the first one westbound through Blaydon about 12.15

 

UPDATE: it is 800 106, as suggested by melmerby, below.

 

Trevor

Edited September 23, 2019 by Trev52A
number added

[melmerby]

47 minutes ago, Trev52A said:

@ melmerby

 

That's right - I was out photographing yesterday in the Blaydon area (see a few of my pics in the 'HST photos & videos' thread of the UK Prototype Discussions section) and got this view at Derwenthaugh

 

 

'Azuma' westbound at Derwenthaugh on 21st Sept 2019.

This went through at 14.00 so it would have been the 13.50 out of Newcastle if anyone could supply me with the actual identity of the set, please. This was the second one I saw in action that day - I didn't get the number either (or a picture) of the first one westbound through Blaydon about 12.15

 

Trevor

That was 1S12 which according to Railcam UK was 800106

The next earlier 800 is 1S08 which was ex Newcastle at 1145 which was 800109

[Trev52A]

14 hours ago, melmerby said:

That was 1S12 which according to Railcam UK was 800106

The next earlier 800 is 1S08 which was ex Newcastle at 1145 which was 800109

 

Many thanks for that info - I will amend my photo caption accordingly. (In fact if I enlarge up the picture where I had zoomed in on the rear of the train, taken immediately after the one I uploaded, I can just make out that the number end with a 6)

 

Cheers

Trevor

[Mallard60022]

On 19/09/2019 at 19:45, Luke Piewalker said:

When I was in York the other week there was 1400ish Departure starting at York for London.

That's the single Cross YK/ YK Cross working that started about 6 weeks ago. Dep up 14.03 I think; becomes another service after that.

 

[sammyboy]

I travelled on a LNER 'Azuma' for the first time earlier in the summer, having a high-speed dash between Leeds and Doncaster ( via Wakefield Westgate), on the return journey from Harrogate.

 

The trains are very quick, and have unbelievable acceleration when departing from station stops! Nice modern interiors in the coaches and lots of seats to choose from, which (just as the railway magazines report) are quite hard!

 

Sam

[MarshLane]

Azuma’s start on the new bi-hourly service from London-Lincoln (extending the NNG terminators basically) from the timetable change, although the Saturday service commenced on the last Saturday of the ‘Summer’ timetable to provide extra capacity for Lincoln Christmas Market. The current early morning and evening return stays HST until February time however.