Class 810 for East Midlands Railway Construction/Introduction Updates

[liamf656]

Will that be enough to cover withdrawals of the Meridians, I wonder?

I'd expect the strain to ease off in early 2026 because we should expect a few more 810s before 222s depart en masse

 

[swinny1990]

First diagram becomes booked 810 from tomorrow followed by another one on Tuesday 02/12. 810011/12/13 get handed over in December also, so I'd assume we'll have a few more out in the new year

You got the diagram info please

 

[liamf656]

You got the diagram info please

There's a separate thread now for 810 diagrams, linked below

Class 810 Initial Diagrams

With entry into service finally imminent a request for anyone with information to post details here. My understanding is that two sets will be in service in early December with five more in Q1 2026. the only information I have seen so far on the Introduction thread is departures as follows...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Bald Rick]

Will that be enough to cover withdrawals of the Meridians, I wonder?

Tight at first but then ok. EMR have already lost one unit, and lose another shortly; but this next one goes after tomorrow, obviously.

 

[Railperf]

Tight at first but then ok. EMR have already lost one unit, and lose another shortly; but this next one goes after tomorrow, obviously.

Haven't EMR lost three units - 001, 002 and 005 already, one in Scotland and two being prepped?

 

[Mzzzs]

I’m just thinking on hindsight whether having customised LEANs was the right thing to do. I’ve sat in a standard, unmodified LEAN and they’re comfortable.

It seems that there has been penny-pinching in some areas of the specification (eg no traffic light system for seat reservations); but there are two ways of looking at it - either it was wise to plough so much of the budget into the main thing that will give passengers a comfortable journey (ie seating), or they blew too much of the budget on seating and neglected some of the basics of train travel mod cons these days.

I find them very comfortable always a treat when I get a refurbished 170. It’s really up to you the seat was already great before, but it’s interesting to see how much more comfortable it is now. I like that they listened to the customers.
They improved the ride so in to see how much better they do ride as the 222 are up there as the best we have.

 

[Bald Rick]

Haven't EMR lost three units - 001, 002 and 005 already, one in Scotland and two being prepped?

err, possibly, likely I’m not up to date!

 

[LowLevel]

222s:
001 is off lease and due to leave.
002 has been robbed to allow 001 to be handed back. Unclear as to whether 002 will return to traffic.
005 already gone and at home on the WCML operated training runs.

Seats on the 810s are firm but comfy in both classes. Even in standard the leg room is good and the tray tables are huge. The carriages have the usual 80x feeling of space inside them and feel positively enormous compared to a 222. The overhead racks are a huge improvement on class 222s and there's large stacks throughout the train.

Bike spaces will be controversial given the trains function as East Midlands local area commuter services - 2 spaces only using hang up hooks, reservations compulsory, staff have been instructed to enforce this strictly. The days of piling 5 or 6 bikes in around the train are over and a long way from the queue of 7 or 8 of them to get into a HST luggage van.

 

[Nottingham59]

Bike spaces will be controversial given the trains function as East Midlands local area commuter services

Time to encourage commuters to ask for a folding bike for Christmas.

 

[WesternLancer]

222s:
001 is off lease and due to leave.
002 has been robbed to allow 001 to be handed back. Unclear as to whether 002 will return to traffic.
005 already gone and at home on the WCML operated training runs.

Seats on the 810s are firm but comfy in both classes. Even in standard the leg room is good and the tray tables are huge. The carriages have the usual 80x feeling of space inside them and feel positively enormous compared to a 222. The overhead racks are a huge improvement on class 222s and there's large stacks throughout the train.

Bike spaces will be controversial given the trains function as East Midlands local area commuter services - 2 spaces only using hang up hooks, reservations compulsory, staff have been instructed to enforce this strictly. The days of piling 5 or 6 bikes in around the train are over and a long way from the queue of 7 or 8 of them to get into a HST luggage van.

Thanks for your review - I'm looking froward to sampling it.

Bad new about bikes though. Sounds fairly poor. Esp given BTPs recent announcements about de prioritising investigating cycle theft at stations so you won't want to leave a cycle at the station.

 

[The_Train]

Thanks for your review - I'm looking froward to sampling it.

Bad new about bikes though. Sounds fairly poor. Esp given BTPs recent announcements about de prioritising investigating cycle theft at stations so you won't want to leave a cycle at the station.

Maybe they could look into some 153 Active Travel units and couple one to each 810

 

[QSK19]

I find them very comfortable always a treat when I get a refurbished 170. It’s really up to you the seat was already great before, but it’s interesting to see how much more comfortable it is now. I like that they listened to the customers.
They improved the ride so in to see how much better they do ride as the 222 are up there as the best we have.

Good to hear the seat is up to standard. Very reassuring for when I catch a train with the new seats - really looking forward to it.

Just for clarity, my message wasn’t to be ungrateful in tone. I absolutely love the fact that so much effort has gone into such a fundamental aspect of the passenger experience and that, as you say, they’ve listened to customers. My post was was said more in the sense of hypothesising whether so much effort went into the seats that other important aspects got missed out due to lack of budget.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2025 ==

Maybe they could look into some 153 Active Travel units and couple one to each 810

Haha love the idea - almost as imaginative as my idea to use loco-hauled 360s as crowd buster services

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Just for clarity, my message wasn’t to be ungrateful in tone. I absolutely love the fact that so much effort has gone into such a fundamental aspect of the passenger experience and that, as you say, they’ve listened to customers. My post was was said more in the sense of hypothesising whether so much effort went into the seats that other important aspects got missed out due to lack of budget.

You have no obligation to clarify such a thing - your opinion is your opinion and you are welcome to it. I also think anyone who considered it “ungrateful“ would be very cheeky considering for how long EMR has made its Regional customers sit in a very shabby mixed bag of hand me downs. I’d say a perfect product now is deserved!

 

[D365]

222s:
001 is off lease and due to leave.
002 has been robbed to allow 001 to be handed back. Unclear as to whether 002 will return to traffic.
005 already gone and at home on the WCML operated training runs.

One would think that 002 will return to traffic. Maybe not for EMR, but certainly for Lumo?

 

[LowLevel]

One would think that 002 will return to traffic. Maybe not for EMR, but certainly for Lumo?

I did sort of think that went without saying

 

[Bob85]

Do the 810s have automated announcements?

 

[LowLevel]

Do the 810s have automated announcements?

Yes, they do. Not heard them in anger so don't ask me what the voice is!

 

[800001]

810004 has this morning returned to Merchant Park from Old Dalby.

 

[QSK19]

Yes, they do. Not heard them in anger so don't ask me what the voice is!

So long as one of them isn’t “the computer says no”, then I think you’ll be fine

 

[liamf656]

Yes, they do. Not heard them in anger so don't ask me what the voice is!

I believe it's Julie Berry

 

[QSK19]

I believe it's Julie Berry

Ah yes, of Piccadilly Line fame. When I was a kid, I used to think it was Joanna Lumley

 

[Qwerty133]

222s:
001 is off lease and due to leave.
002 has been robbed to allow 001 to be handed back. Unclear as to whether 002 will return to traffic.
005 already gone and at home on the WCML operated training runs.

Seats on the 810s are firm but comfy in both classes. Even in standard the leg room is good and the tray tables are huge. The carriages have the usual 80x feeling of space inside them and feel positively enormous compared to a 222. The overhead racks are a huge improvement on class 222s and there's large stacks throughout the train.

Bike spaces will be controversial given the trains function as East Midlands local area commuter services - 2 spaces only using hang up hooks, reservations compulsory, staff have been instructed to enforce this strictly. The days of piling 5 or 6 bikes in around the train are over and a long way from the queue of 7 or 8 of them to get into a HST luggage van.

I’m guessing they won’t be able to go further and not issue reservations to daily users for journeys such as Leicester to Loughborough?
If such reservations are permitted they may well find that there’s essentially no capacity out of St Pancras for hours at a time due to daily commuters block booking the spaces for short journeys.

 

[LowLevel]

I’m guessing they won’t be able to go further and not issue reservations to daily users for journeys such as Leicester to Loughborough?
If such reservations are permitted they may well find that there’s essentially no capacity out of St Pancras for hours at a time due to daily commuters block booking the spaces for short journeys.

I think the issue is that most cyclists are doing journeys like that or Leicester to Derby or similar, IE commuters, I don't see too many full sized bikes doing long trips out of London by comparison. I will be interested to see how it goes.

 

[InvHst]

Hearing things that tomorrow's entry into service tomorrow has been postponed

 

[PG]

Hearing things that tomorrow's entry into service tomorrow has been postponed

Maybe next week will go better? - heres hoping!

 

[liamf656]

Hearing things that tomorrow's entry into service tomorrow has been postponed

Unfortunately that's correct, it'll be a 7 car 222 for tomorrow and likely Wednesday. We'll see what Thursday brings

 

[duffield]

Unfortunately that's correct, it'll be a 7 car 222 for tomorrow and likely Wednesday. We'll see what Thursday brings

Oh well, I was planning to finish early in Derby and join the southbound 810 service there at 14:32, but I'll just carry on shopping instead!

 

[Nottingham59]

Hearing things that tomorrow's entry into service tomorrow has been postponed

Why am I not surprised?

 

[duffield]

Why am I not surprised?

Disappointing. I was betting on the first service breaking south of Bedford and causing chaos in the rush hour.

I guess this shows they were wise to publically bill introduction as being "in December" with a sneaky soft launch in November - they won't have to eat humble pie again (yet!)

 

[38Cto15E]

Thanks for the heads up I was going to go Wednesday on the 1130 from St Pancras to Sheffield in First Class , stay in my seat at Sheffield and return, but only the Leicester-Sheffield sector.

Just a quickie, Stirling-Euston for the Meridians, are the engines going to cope, especially during times of extreme temperatures?