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Class 801 Azuma

The all-electric version of Hitachi's Intercity Express Train, built for the East Coast Main Line.

Class 801 Azuma, schematic side elevation, 5 cars
Class 801 Azuma, schematic side elevation, 5 cars, in operation: pantographs raised to a contact wire at 4.7 mcontact wire 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m)
427 ft (130.12 m) (the cars’ lengths added)

Class 801 Azuma · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/801/ · CC BY 4.0

Schematic side elevation of a full train, drawn from the dimensions below. Drawn in LNER's Azuma livery, measured from LNER's livery drawings; a 5-car train. The 9-car trains have four more cars in the middle, two of them unpowered trailers on inner-frame bogies. Branding left out: LNER's wordmark, 'AZUMA' and the numbers. In operation: the pantographs raised to a contact wire 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m) above the rail, Network Rail's normal height (Network Rail, A Guide to Overhead Electrification, 2015; one wire, schematic). Drawn at 10 px per metre. Download SVG Download SVG · Use this drawing

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Liveries

Special liveries 6
  • 'Gresley 150' (launched 19 Jun 2026) Replaced 'Century' on 801228 18 Jun 2026.
  • 801204 'Our Planet' 22 Sep 2024; bio-based vinyl.
  • 801205 'She's electric' 27 Mar 2025 (Oasis).
  • 801207 'Darlington' 14 Jan 2025 (S&DR 200).
  • 801224 Bradford 2025 City of Culture 19 May 2025.
  • 801226 'Together' Pride Eight LGBTQ+ flags across all nine cars, from 1 Jun 2023; LNER says it stays permanently.

Former liveries 1

LNER'Century' (801228)Ran as LNERFormer15 May 2023 to 18 Jun 2026Not drawn yet

Compare with other trains →

Type
Electric multiple unit
Builder
Hitachi Rail (assembled at Newton Aycliffe)
Family
Class 800 series, with Class 800, Class 802, Class 803, Class 805 Evero, Class 807 Evero, Class 810 Aurora
Built
2017–2020
In service
since 2019
Operators
LNER
Formation
5 cars (DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF) or 9 cars (DPTS-MS-MS-TS-MS-TS-MC-MF-DPTF, as Hitachi designed them in 2014)
Fleets
LNER: 42
Top speed
125 mph (201 km/h) in service; designed for 140 mph (225 km/h)
Power
25 kV AC overhead; one diesel generator unit, as on the Class 800, for emergency traction and auxiliary power · how it works
Bogies
Hitachi bolsterless bogies; inner-frame trailer bogies under the 9-car trains' two TS cars · drawn with the same bogie component as Class 800, Class 802, Class 803, Class 805 Evero, Class 807 Evero
Train length
427 ft (130.12 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
Coupled
2 × 5 cars, about 854 ft (260 m) (the units’ lengths added)
Car height
12 ft 3 in (3.725 m), to the body's roof edge; the roof covers stand about 11 in (0.27 m) higher
Profile
main-line
Seats per train
As designed (Hitachi, 2014): 5 cars 315 (45 first class, 270 standard); 9 cars 627 (101 first class, 526 standard)
Status
In service since September 2019: the first five-car 801s from 16 September 2019, the nine-car ones that November. Owned by Agility Trains East and maintained by Hitachi. An Azuma first ran under ETCS Level 2 cab signalling between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin overnight on 15-16 July 2026; LNER's services begin moving to ETCS from late 2026.

Car types

CodeCarLengthDoors per side
DPTSDriving pantograph trailer, standard class85 ft 6 in26.06 m2 single
MSMotor, standard class85 ft 4 in26.00 m2 single
MCMotor, composite85 ft 4 in26.00 m2 single
DPTFDriving pantograph trailer, first class, with kitchen85 ft 6 in26.06 m2 single

Sources

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