Drivers at Hull Trains have been put through their paces as they get to grips with the operator’s new £60m fleet of Hitachi trains.
Staff have so far clocked up over 50 hours of training for the new fleet, and are now in the final stages of preparation for the arrival of the Hitachi 802 trains in November.
Classroom work and simulator training has been completed, and drivers have now jumped aboard a similar 802 train run by TransPennine Express.
The first of the five new Hull Trains is due to arrive in the 海角视频 during the first week in September and is on track to be rolled into passenger use in early November.
Bruce Davidson is the driving force training the new staff. He said: “The cabs on the TransPennine trains are similar to the ones they will be driving on the new 802s.
“So far the training is going well. It started in late May with the last drivers set to finish their training in late November.
“Driving a train is not like driving a new car. It’s a completely new set of controls, which initially can be quite daunting, but after a while you get your head around the fact that generally the controls are the same, just in different places.
“The big change is the fact these are bi-mode trains – operating on both diesel and electric traction. There’s a different set of rules and regulations and new emergency procedures to learn for electric trains.
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“One of the big things is the new train management system – a computer system. A lot is automatic and the train does a lot of things for the drivers.”
So far, the work has been based around the classroom, on simulators and in static cabs.
But now, the first 18 of Hull Trains’ drivers will be testing their knowledge on moving trains – using TransPennine Express’ 802s currently in the 海角视频 – operating them up and down from Peterborough.
Earlier this month, Hull Trains released images of what the new £60m fleet will look like as the hard work on the interiors takes place in at Hitachi’s facility in Italy.
The images were released as the firm’s Managing Director, Louise Cheeseman, visited the facility in Pistoia in to see the process herself.
She said: “The hard work started for our staff when we announced that the new fleet was going ahead and the team is gearing up for the arrival on the new trains. Everything is going well and on time and I can’t wait for the new trains to be in service.
“I’m anticipating we will be the best train operating company in the 海角视频 with these trains revolutionising rail travel between Hull and London.”
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Once the trains arrive in the 海角视频, Hitachi will be carrying out test runs before driver training takes place and the trains will then be rolled into the timetable one by one.
The fifth and final train will have arrived in the 海角视频 and the entire new fleet will be in passenger use by December 31 at the latest.
Mr Davidson said: “Most of what the drivers have been saying is that they just want to get out and drive the new trains.
“From a driver’s point of view the new trains will be a much cleaner and quieter environment and much quicker.
“It is going to be a much different experience to the class 180s which we’ve had for 10-11 years prior. The new 802s have fantastic acceleration, especially in electric mode. The acceleration pushes you back in your seat it is so quick.”
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Business Live's Hull & East Yorkshire journalist is Phil Winter, also the business editor at the Hull Daily Mail and Hull Live.
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