| British Rail Class 805Evero | |
|---|---|
 Avanti West Coast Class 805 at Crewe | |
 Standard class interior of a Class 805 unit | |
| In service | 2 June 2024 – present (2024-06-02 – present)[1] |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi Rail |
| Built at |
|
| Family name | A-train |
| Replaced | Class 221 (Avanti West Coast) |
| Constructed | 2021–2024 |
| Number built | 13[3] |
| Number in service | 6[3] |
| Formation | 5 cars per unit |
| Fleet numbers | 805001–805013[4] |
| Capacity | 299 seats (25 first-class, 274 standard),[5] and 2 wheelchair spaces[6] |
| Owners | Rock Rail |
| Operators | Avanti West Coast |
| Depots | Oxley (Wolverhampton) |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium[7] |
| Car length | 26 m (85 ft 4 in) |
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h)[8] |
| Engine type | 4-strokeV12turbo-diesel |
| Electric system(s) | Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 805Evero is a type ofbi-mode multiple unit built byHitachi Rail forAvanti West Coast. Based on theHitachi A-train design, 13 five-car units were built to replaceClass 221s on services betweenLondon Euston,Birmingham New Street,Chester and stations on theNorth Wales Coast lines. Their introduction allowed the elimination of long-distance diesel working on electrified routes.[9]
In December 2019,Avanti West Coast placed an order for 13 five-car bi-mode units to replace itsClass 221 fleet, along with 10Class 807 electric units, as part of £350 million contract withHitachi Rail.[10] All were originally scheduled to be in service by 2023. Financing of this rolling stock was handled byRock Rail West Coast, ajoint venture betweenRock Rail andStandard Life Aberdeen.[11]The trains will be maintained by a joint team ofAlstom and Hitachi staff, alongside the Class 807, atOxley depot nearWolverhampton.
Passenger facilities promised include freeWi-Fi, at-seat wirelessinductive charging for electronic devices, 230 V sockets and USB sockets, a catering offer and a real-timepassenger information system that can advise of connecting rail services.[12]
In June 2022, static testing commenced atNewton Aycliffe and dynamic testing followed in November.[13][14] Main line testing of the Class 805 commenced in February 2023,[15] while the type's introduction into service originally planned for later that same year.[16] However, this was put back to Summer 2024.[17] On 2 June 2024, the Class 805 entered regular service.[1]
In August 2024, theOffice of Rail and Road (ORR) issued an improvement notice to Avanti West Coast regarding the operation of the newly-introduced Class 805 fleet, having determined its lack of an automatic speed supervision system (which was present on the preceding Class 221 fleet) to be in breach of legislation. Compliance with the improvement notice would require all Class 805s to be retrofitted with continuous speed supervision; if this functionality necessitates additional hardware, such work could be quite costly to implement. In response, Avanti West Coast filed an appeal against the improvement notice.[18]
The Class 805 replaces the diesel-only Class 221 Voyager trains on the West Coast route. The Voyagers finished service in December 2024 and were transferred toCrossCountry.[19]
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 805 | Avanti West Coast | 13 | 2021–2024 | 5 | 805001–805013 |
