Frustration as air con fault and delays taint launch of new high-speed train
Written by News on 16/10/2017
A new fleet of trains costing £5.7bn have entered public service for the first time – but the launch did not go too swimmingly.
Commuters were left frustrated after the Bristol to London train was held up for 41 minutes this morning, and to make matters worse, passengers also reported a leak from an air conditioning unit.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was on board the maiden Great Western Railway service along with industry bosses.
According to rail website Realtime Trains, it was due to leave Bristol Temple Meads at 6am but did not depart until about 6.25am.
Commuter Craig McCrum, 38, said "water was pouring out" of the air conditioning system but said he was "not surprised" as he insisted "GWR is a complete shambles".
He said: "I can deal with water pouring down if they can get me to work on time.
"I’m late probably 50% of the week. I get a train that gets me into London 45 minutes earlier than I should be just to allow for delays every day."
A GWR spokesman said Hitachi would be investigating any issues.
He added: "Unfortunately, the train was delayed this morning due to a minor technical matter that was quickly resolved at the depot.
"These trains have been running successfully on UK tracks for over two years and recently passed the industry standard 5,000 miles running without a fault."
In a statement, Hitachi apologised for the "technical challenges".
It added: "We are of course disappointed with an issue with this train’s air conditioning and water ingress in one of the carriages.
"We are investigating this as a matter of priority and will restore the train back into passenger service once fully rectified."
The disrupted service comes as about 122 of the new Class 800 Hitachi trains are set to replace the Intercity 125 fleet on GWR and Virgin Trains East Coast service by 2020.
The new trains can travel at 140mph but will be limited to 125mph without tracks being upgraded.
There will be more than 4,000 extra seats into London Paddington during peak hours from next year, and 12,000 more seats into London King’s Cross by the end of 2020.
Mr Grayling said the Government was committed to modernising the railways and having "faster, more comfortable" trains.
He added: "These new state-of-the-art trains show our commitment to put passengers at the heart of everything that we do."
(c) Sky News 2017: Frustration as air con fault and delays taint launch of new high-speed train
