New 9-car Class 800 announced

Class 800/1 is a 9-car train that has features that traditional 5-car trains do not have, such as an inner frame bogie, a simple roof top, and an intermediate car with all first-class passenger cars. This set will be available in DC, DCC Fitted and DCC Sound Fitted, priced at £399.95, £429.95 and £499.95, respectively. 

Available from most stockists for pre-order, this announcement complements the already available Class 800/2, which are 5-car trains equipped with a front coupling mechanism. This coupling is used to reproduce the 5+5 10-car formation seen in the actual vehicles.

The Class 800, which was introduced as a replacement for the old HST (diesel high-speed train) under the Intercity Rapid Transit Plan (IEP) being promoted in the UK, is a train that has been electrified in sections based on the company's "A-train" series concept. It collects current from the pantograph as before, and in non-electrified sections, the engine and generator unit supply power to the motor, making it possible to operate directly between electrified and non-electrified sections. Manufactured at the Kasado Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Hitachi Rail's UK factory, it is currently being used on the LNER, the UK's main line, nicknamed "AZUMA".

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