Passengers will benefit from clean air and less noise as diesel trains are finally being banished from London St Pancras – Britain’s rail gateway to Europe.
A new £490m fleet is being introduced on the line between London, the East Midlands and South Yorkshire following a £1.5bn upgrade to install electric wires as far north as Leicestershire.
Full electrification of the line was proposed by the coalition government but repeatedly delayed and then scaled back by Labour.
The East Midlands Railway line currently uses 20-year-old diesel trains which sit idling at platforms at St Pancras alongside Eurostar services to and from continental Europe.
The first of the new bi-mode trains – which still use diesel engines where there is no electric power – will enter service next month with the rest to follow over the coming year and the old fleet phased out.
It is the last inter-city service to and from London to have its trains upgraded.
The much-delayed new fleet of 33 Class 810 Aurora trains, built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, will provide a 46pc increase in seats on the line, which suffers from overcrowding.
London St Pancras station will only be served by electric trains in the future bringing clean air
One of the £490m fleet of Class 810 Hitachi Aurora trains at St Pancras Station on a test run
The trains are finally being delivered three years late and 13 years after new trains for the line were first promised by the government.
The rail firm has promised seats which will be ‘comfier’ than on modern trains running on some other lines – and its fleet also has revolutionary German-made Flachglas windows which are designed not to inhibit mobile phone signal.
Will Rogers, East Midlands Railway’s managing director, said: ‘Using the existing electrification will cut our carbon emissions by 66pc and the Class 810 trains are going to transform the experience at St Pancras.
‘In London we will be running an entirely electric operation. The difference in terms of noise and emissions will be very noticeable.’
Mr Rogers aid the new trains will ‘provide a step-change for our passengers’ – as well as help boost use of the line and ‘attract more investments to the regions we serve’.
Rachel Turner, head of new trains at EMR, said the interior has been designed to improve life for business and leisure travellers seeking to use their phones or the internet.
She said: ‘Connectivity has been a big issue for us and improving the trains for people who want to work on them has been an important focus – with improvements such as the Flachglas, which still reflects glare but without affecting signal. There is also a power point for every seat.’
Passengers will also benefit from a 137 pc increase in luggage capacity and more legroom, plus improved accessibility features for disabled people.
Meanwhile, the operator is promising ‘locally-sourced’ food including freshly-baked pastries, Melton Mowbray pork pies, plus fresh filter coffee in first class.
Scones for afternoon tea, as well as cheese and biscuits, are on the menu.
The new Aurora trains have ‘more seats, improved legroom plus better phone signal and wifi’
The new trains will switch between electric and diesel power at the touch of a button in the driver’s cab – and promise faster acceleration when running on electricity.
But Mr Rogers said the company will not be making radical timetable alterations until 2027 to give the new fleet, funded by rolling stock company Rock Rail and the Department for Transport, time to ‘bed-in’.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said the new fleet was part of the government’s ‘commitment to a cleaner, more reliable railway that puts passengers first, strengthens communities and opens opportunities for millions.’
He said: ‘With the support of £490 million of Government investment, the arrival of EMR’s new Aurora trains marks a significant milestone, enabling bi-mode electric trains to run the length of the Midland Main Line, transforming rail travel and supporting economic growth, jobs and homes in the region.’
