Nineteen 5-car Class 802 trains operating between Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh will keep their current reliability and availability for eight more years. Angel Trains and the TPE extended the existing maintenance contract by the manufacturer by the year 2031. The Nova 1 trains fleet is 70% more reliable than the industry average, a significantly needed number on the UK railways.
The 280 million euros deal will also keep 550 jobs in North England and Scotland depots. These bi-mode trains can operate using electric or diesel power, can reach a maximum speed of 200 km/h and have a capacity of 342 seats each. They were delivered by Hitachi Rail Europe in 2019. Their operator, TPE, was a FirstGroup company, which was brought into the operator of last resort in May 2023.
