Your rides and experiences on EMR Class 810 Aurora units

[tfw756rider]

I had a ride on 810010 on Sat 6/12/25, (end-to-end journey) and it was nice to try out a new class, but the unit definitely had some issues for sure.

The already-mentioned (in general) toilet issues, such as one of the accessible toilets out of use (even with a sticker that looked like it was meant to be there), and it looked like people couldn't get into coach C's small toilet either, and at one point the "Call for Aid in Coach C" alert (surprisingly with Voyager/Meridian beeps).

As for "non-toilet" issues, the internal screens (both types) lagged like they were Aventra ones or West Midlands Trains station ones (and the "TV/monitor shape" screens seemed to have some glitch on them as well). The power sockets, at least in coach C (both 3-pin and USB) worked for a bit, then didn't work for a bit, then worked again for a bit, then didn't work again for a bit, rinse and repeat.

 

[800001]

I had a ride on 810010 on Sat 6/12/25, (end-to-end journey) and it was nice to try out a new class, but the unit definitely had some issues for sure.

The already-mentioned (in general) toilet issues, such as the accessible toilet out of use (even with a sticker that looked like it was meant to be there), and it looked like people couldn't get into coach C's small toilet either, and at one point the "Call for Aid in Coach C" alert (surprisingly with Voyager/Meridian beeps).

As for "non-toilet" issues, the internal screens (both types) lagged like they were Aventra ones or West Midlands Trains station ones (and the "TV/monitor shape" screens seemed to have some glitch on them as well). The power sockets, at least in coach C (both 3-pin and USB) worked for a bit, then didn't work for a bit, then worked again for a bit, then didn't work again for a bit, rinse and repeat.

Were the plug 'issues' when it was on electric power? So every time it passed a neutral section it briefly knocks power off, then back on?

 

[800301]

I had a ride on 810010 on Sat 6/12/25, (end-to-end journey) and it was nice to try out a new class, but the unit definitely had some issues for sure.

The already-mentioned (in general) toilet issues, such as the accessible toilet out of use (even with a sticker that looked like it was meant to be there), and it looked like people couldn't get into coach C's small toilet either, and at one point the "Call for Aid in Coach C" alert (surprisingly with Voyager/Meridian beeps).

As for "non-toilet" issues, the internal screens (both types) lagged like they were Aventra ones or West Midlands Trains station ones (and the "TV/monitor shape" screens seemed to have some glitch on them as well). The power sockets, at least in coach C (both 3-pin and USB) worked for a bit, then didn't work for a bit, then worked again for a bit, then didn't work again for a bit, rinse and repeat.

I used the UAT in coach A, I found the amount of buttons unnecessary, I’d pressed the close button once inside but nothing happened so I pressed it again and just as the door started closing it reopened, had to press the button outside to get it to close again, however I will say the catch on the baby change unit is a nice addition as the ones on the GWR units are always falling down.

I didn’t notice any issues with the PIS, but there were issues with the internal doors which wouldn’t close so it was quite loud for the journey, there was a fitter on board but he couldn’t seem to get them to work either, there was also an issue with the doors at Kettering but other than that was a nice journey

 

[liamf656]

Were the plug 'issues' when it was on electric power? So every time it passed a neutral section it briefly knocks power off, then back on?

It definitely sounds like it could be this

 

[liamf656]

Now that the admins have split this thread off I may as well add in my experience with the 810

I had one last month and it was worlds apart from the Meridian. The seats (which are usually Hitachi's low point) are much more comfortable than other 80X trains but in first class the 222 seating is softer (although more worn out). Legroom in standard class is a hot topic with these trains but I didn't get chance to test this out. Not that my view would matter only being 5'9! The tray tables are bigger than those on the 222 however

Phone signal is much better than 222s even on the Manton diversion, and it has 3 pin plugs and USBs. Although the train lacks Type C charging ports it's still a step up from the 222

Luggage space is normally a talking point for the 222s for the wrong reasons so the improvement on the 810s is very much welcomed

Julie Berry is the voice on the auto announcements and it was working well on my journey

 

[tfw756rider]

Were the plug 'issues' when it was on electric power? So every time it passed a neutral section it briefly knocks power off, then back on?

It definitely sounds like it could be this

It was for the whole journey (even once on diesel) and the sockets didn't "mostly work but briefly didn't work every now and then", they worked and then didn't work and then worked and then didn't work, with the duration of not working being about the same as working. It was every (some decent amount of minutes) that it would change.

 

[duffield]

Here are my observations based on travelling from East Midlands Parkway to Sheffield today (9th December) on 1F32 1132 St Pancras International to Sheffield, operated by 810006. I've highlighted a few points in bold that I would be particularly interested in other peoples' observations or feedback on.

• 1st class seats were very comfortable for me (6'2"), in fact just about the best I can remember, although I couldn't seem to find any adjustment control - do they actually have one? I didn't need it, I was just curious.
• Lighting was fine for me on a gloomy afternoon
• The ride seemed very smooth
• Diesel noise was minimal
• A/C was a little intrusive
• Reservation and information displays were very clear although the reservations are not in use yet
• Plug sockets seemed to work OK although I only used one for a short time
• USB socket did not work, my phone said "check cable". But there's nothing wrong with my cable, it even worked fine on a refurb class 170 later the same day.
• Mobile reception was very good, tested particularly in the Ambergate, Chesterfield, Dronfield and Sheffield approach areas - pages loaded very rapidly.
• Accessible toilet in 1st was working but the door was squirrelly (as described above) and made me nervous!
• When sat in my seat I couldn't see any sign of a "toilet occupied" indicator - perhaps I was looking in the wrong place?
• The overhead luggage racks in 1st seemed generously sized
• The complimentary coffee tasted nicer than usual but that may have been my imagination
• The shortbread had been upgraded
• There was a nice chunk of EMR branded chocolate
• Lots of Hitachi engineers were buzzing about

 

[Travelmonkey]

I finally got one in the week. I did like it but encountered one major issue. I had to be overcarried to Sheffiled as the "ramps are too long" to be safley deployed at Chesterfeild.

Though only a short ish Derby to Sheffield (before being able to backtrack to my end destination Illkeston 2 hours later than planned with a change at Chesterfeild having missed 3 connecting trains. )

As a wheelchair user I get a auto upgrade on the Aroura fleet as both spaces are in first I also got complmentary coffee and biscoff buiscuit.

I do think their long overdue but the fact that they can't/won't allow ramp use at Chesterfeild left my wayfarer bouncing a little sour.

 

[LowLevel]

Here are my observations based on travelling from East Midlands Parkway to Sheffield today (9th December) on 1F32 1132 St Pancras International to Sheffield, operated by 810006. I've highlighted a few points in bold that I would be particularly interested in other peoples' observations or feedback on.

• 1st class seats were very comfortable for me (6'2"), in fact just about the best I can remember, although I couldn't seem to find any adjustment control - do they actually have one? I didn't need it, I was just curious.
• Lighting was fine for me on a gloomy afternoon
• The ride seemed very smooth
• Diesel noise was minimal
• A/C was a little intrusive
• Reservation and information displays were very clear although the reservations are not in use yet
• Plug sockets seemed to work OK although I only used one for a short time
• USB socket did not work, my phone said "check cable". But there's nothing wrong with my cable, it even worked fine on a refurb class 170 later the same day.
• Mobile reception was very good, tested particularly in the Ambergate, Chesterfield, Dronfield and Sheffield approach areas - pages loaded very rapidly.
• Accessible toilet in 1st was working but the door was squirrelly (as described above) and made me nervous!
• When sat in my seat I couldn't see any sign of a "toilet occupied" indicator - perhaps I was looking in the wrong place?
• The overhead luggage racks in 1st seemed generously sized
• The complimentary coffee tasted nicer than usual but that may have been my imagination
• The shortbread had been upgraded
• There was a nice chunk of EMR branded chocolate
• Lots of Hitachi engineers were buzzing about

There is a seat adjusted, it's the little black handle on the front of the seat. Movement is fairly minimal though and you have to push down on the seat whilst pushing it forwards and back, maybe it will loosen up with use.

The coffee on the 810s is 200 Degrees filter rather than instant so it is an improvement.

I finally got one in the week. I did like it but encountered one major issue. I had to be overcarried to Sheffiled as the "ramps are too long" to be safley deployed at Chesterfeild.

Though only a short ish Derby to Sheffield (before being able to backtrack to my end destination Illkeston 2 hours later than planned with a change at Chesterfeild having missed 3 connecting trains. )

As a wheelchair user I get a auto upgrade on the Aroura fleet as both spaces are in first I also got complmentary coffee and biscoff buiscuit.

I do think their long overdue but the fact that they can't/won't allow ramp use at Chesterfeild left my wayfarer bouncing a little sour.

The Chesterfield ramp issue is due to the works on the platform to repair the cantilevered section over the road bridge which has been happily collapsing for years - it doesn't give enough space for the ramp to be deployed there. Why they can't just use the end of the platform instead I don't actually know.

 

[sh24]

Fresh off the 19:12 Nottingham-St Pancras

Like

Colour scheme works well, feeling much less like grey/beige bland tubes. Lots of nice little design touches too.

Mobile reception is SO much better. What a difference, was able to hotspot from my phone and work online with Google sheets

Engine noise and vibration is so much better than a 222, and maybe a smidge better than the older 800 fleets

They do look cool! Nose shape is very satisfying

Noticed coach load indictors on the info screen and the dot matrix - nice to see on an Intercity service

Meh

Could have done with a few more single seats, and flip a couple of the 4 bays into airline pairs

Ride quality is much better than other Hitachi products, but not as good as a Mk3. I also wonder if the MML track is in much better shape than the GWML as there was much less rollercoaster lurching and rolling over pointwork

The recline on the seats is very average, feels pretty limited (black plastic pull out handle at the bottom of the seat for those wrestling)

Bad

The AC noise is surprisingly intrusive, not something I’d ever noticed on the other fleets. After a while it’s quite fatiguing

Wifi is rubbish. Only 2MB up or down v 20+ on my phone

While the indirect lighting is slightly better, the colour temperate is still dentists surgery bright. The 222 have a much better, softer arrangement of lights. I really don’t understand why modern trains have such harsh lighting, is there an accessibility requirement to have such levels of brightness?

I couldn’t see a bathroom occupied sign anywhere!

The last train interior that wowed me was a TGV Océane. These are nowhere near as good, but are one of the better modern UK efforts.

 

[800001]

Fresh off the 19:12 Nottingham-St Pancras

Like

Colour scheme works well, feeling much less like grey/beige bland tubes. Lots of nice little design touches too.

Mobile reception is SO much better. What a difference, was able to hotspot from my phone and work online with Google sheets

Engine noise and vibration is so much better than a 222, and maybe a smidge better than the older 800 fleets

They do look cool! Nose shape is very satisfying

Noticed coach load indictors on the info screen and the dot matrix - nice to see on an Intercity service

Meh

Could have done with a few more single seats, and flip a couple of the 4 bays into airline pairs

Ride quality is much better than other Hitachi products, but not as good as a Mk3. I also wonder if the MML track is in much better shape than the GWML as there was much less rollercoaster lurching and rolling over pointwork

The recline on the seats is very average, feels pretty limited (black plastic pull out handle at the bottom of the seat for those wrestling)

Bad

The AC noise is surprisingly intrusive, not something I’d ever noticed on the other fleets. After a while it’s quite fatiguing

Wifi is rubbish. Only 2MB up or down v 20+ on my phone

While the indirect lighting is slightly better, the colour temperate is still dentists surgery bright. The 222 have a much better, softer arrangement of lights. I really don’t understand why modern trains have such harsh lighting, is there an accessibility requirement to have such levels of brightness?

I couldn’t see a bathroom occupied sign anywhere!

The last train interior that wowed me was a TGV Océane. These are nowhere near as good, but are one of the better modern UK efforts.

Genuine question. What is the fascination with toilet occupied signs?
If i need the toilet, I go to it, if it's occupied I wait outside.

Even if I see it's occupied from inside carriage I still head there as no doubt other people are also going there as well.
If it shows unoccupied in carriage and I head there and someone beats me to it, I wait. No drama.

 

[duffield]

...

I couldn’t see a bathroom occupied sign anywhere!

...

I couldn't either, but this post from above solves the mystery!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Dec 2025 ==

Genuine question. What is the fascination with toilet occupied signs?
If i need the toilet, I go to it, if it's occupied I wait outside.

Even if I see it's occupied from inside carriage I still head there as no doubt other people are also going there as well.
If it shows unoccupied in carriage and I head there and someone beats me to it, I wait. No drama.

That's fine if that's what you're happy with. It doesn't suit me at all. Some people take a very long time. I don't want to be standing up outside the toilet for ten minutes when I could be drinking my coffee, reading the paper and enjoying the journey. Also, although I don't leave anything of value like my phone or wallet in it, I'd rather not leave my bag for longer than is strictly necessary.

 

[LowLevel]

Genuine question. What is the fascination with toilet occupied signs?
If i need the toilet, I go to it, if it's occupied I wait outside.

Even if I see it's occupied from inside carriage I still head there as no doubt other people are also going there as well.
If it shows unoccupied in carriage and I head there and someone beats me to it, I wait. No drama.

Don't know but I have lost count of the amount of times I have worked 158s with locked out bogs where people.have enquired after an hour or so with crossed legs when the toilet would be free because of the engaged sign in the saloon rather than going for a look so I think if you do have them they are a double edged sword!

 

[Merle Haggard]

Fresh off the 19:12 Nottingham-St Pancras

//snip


The recline on the seats is very average, feels pretty limited (black plastic pull out handle at the bottom of the seat for those wrestling)

//snip

I take it that you were in the first class - when I travelled I couldn't work out how to recline the seats and assumed they didn't. Haven't been able to find it on Avanti 805/7s, either; I did ask there how they reclined and was told 'they don't'.

Good how the first class table seats exactly line up with the windows, at least in the DF; the 222s only managed perfection in that respect for the luggage stacks

 

[Phil R]

I take it that you were in the first class - when I travelled I couldn't work out how to recline the seats and assumed they didn't. Haven't been able to find it on Avanti 805/7s, either; I did ask there how they reclined and was told 'they don't'.

Good how the first class table seats exactly line up with the windows, at least in the DF; the 222s only managed perfection in that respect for the luggage stacks

Not just me then!
I did a little (FC) trip out today, incorporating my first time on a 807/805/810 and then a 222, which was interesting. My benchmark is 800/802s which I use frequently.
Disappointed with the 807, with the lever not being in the same place as it is on the 800/802 or 390, I assumed it didn't recline.The interior was spartan (even compared with the low bar 800/802) so that was consistent with a reduced level of features, and being from 444/450 land where recline was refurbed out I assumed it was the same here. A little while later on the 805 I was looking across the aisle and wondered what the black blobs part way in at the front of the seats were, and hey presto, we have movement. There did seem to be less recline on the 810 but the 810 was imho way superior to all the other 80x, it felt like there had been a bit of an effort made with the interior. The run on the 222 (which I ordinarily regard as OK and better than a 220/221) reminded me of the shake rattle and roll and continual angry vibration on that family. Oh yes, and the window alignment challenge.
A new train - and an Hitachi one at that - apparently better than the one it replaces? I think I need a lie down.

 

[sh24]

Genuine question. What is the fascination with toilet occupied signs?

I was mostly responding to Duffields and other posts, but also I do make use of it. Quick check to see loo is available before I remove headphones etc

 

[sh24]

I take it that you were in the first class - when I travelled I couldn't work out how to recline the seats and assumed they didn't. Haven't been able to find it on Avanti 805/7s, either; I did ask there how they reclined and was told 'they don't'.

Good how the first class table seats exactly line up with the windows, at least in the DF; the 222s only managed perfection in that respect for the luggage stacks

Yes it took me a little while to figure out on Avanti too. Same basic seat on the 810 but it feels and looks much nicer than the 805/807

 

[Merle Haggard]

Continuing the observations about the first class accommodation (which I realise may be tiresome to others); no one has mentioned the ramp in the aisle in the Driving First about the middle of the coach (presumably the same in the Driving Standard). I'm not exceptionally tall, about 6'. but the higher section doesn't give much headroom in the aisle and also, more critically, means that the overhead rack is nearer the floor; a hazard when taking one's coat off, putting luggage behind the seat and sitting down and standing up.
The slope is quite steep and not immediately obvious because of the carpet, but there's no warning sign. I guess we'll get used to it.
The new host trolley design (more compact with enclosed sides) also digs in at the bottom going down the ramp, but the Sheffieid trains all have 2 staff so one at each end to negotiate.

 

[800Travel]

...
The new host trolley design (more compact with enclosed sides) also digs in at the bottom going down the ramp, but the Sheffieid trains all have 2 staff so one at each end to negotiate.

I read that as 'the new trolley host design' and was baffled

 

[QSK19]

Just had a cheeky trip on 810010 under the guise of trialling EMR’s PAYG app and managed to get a table.

Ample table space, but it’s a bit tight to get your head under the table to see which slot is the 3-pin one and which is the USB one. That doesn’t detract from a positive reflection though.

The length of time it’s taken to get them into service is unforgivable, but so far so good - the end result is a good one.

 

[Kite159]

Typical the day I can try and sample a 810, both diagrams seem to be 222s.

 

[Travelmonkey]

There is a seat adjusted, it's the little black handle on the front of the seat. Movement is fairly minimal though and you have to push down on the seat whilst pushing it forwards and back, maybe it will loosen up with use.

The coffee on the 810s is 200 Degrees filter rather than instant so it is an improvement.

The Chesterfield ramp issue is due to the works on the platform to repair the cantilevered section over the road bridge which has been happily collapsing for years - it doesn't give enough space for the ramp to be deployed there. Why they can't just use the end of the platform instead I don't actually know.

It does seem lazy as I was rear coach if I wanted to be a d**k I could have pascommed to alight as it wouldn't have been a issue for the ramp from where I was although if it was in reverse formation it could he a problem. It does seem if a more vocal member of the community wants out there may be issues. I just took the opertunity to enjoy the ride into South Yorkshire and double back on a northern. I am hoping EMR give me my delay repay as any other passengers would have made the connection I had planned.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Just had a cheeky trip on 810010 under the guise of trialling EMR’s PAYG app and managed to get a table.

Ample table space, but it’s a bit tight to get your head under the table to see which slot is the 3-pin one and which is the USB one. That doesn’t from a positive reflection though.

The length of time it’s taken to get them into service is unforgivable, but so far so good - the end result is a good one.

It's a common thing for stock delays and teething issues even in the BR days but the 810s and 701s really take the biscuit.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I had a ride on 810010 on Sat 6/12/25, (end-to-end journey) and it was nice to try out a new class, but the unit definitely had some issues for sure.

The already-mentioned (in general) toilet issues, such as one of the accessible toilets out of use (even with a sticker that looked like it was meant to be there),

Coincidentally Avanti 807010 also had a permenant looking out of order sticker on the accessible toilet yesterday, perhaps it's a "010" problem!

 

[Railperf]

Okay, here's my observations after a second trip. Listening to the comments of people joining these trains, it's clear that people are impressed by the cleanliness, the look and feel of the cabin and the brightness. I travelled in coach A both ways which would be the country end.
There was a slight concern at St Pancras when the driver appeared as though he couldn't get into the cab. But with the help of a technician he did get in before departure time.
And then another moment of concern when the diesel engine started up at St pancras. But after a few minutes the engines were switched off and we departed on electric.
Definitely the most annoying aspect of the new interior is the very loud air conditioning or ventilation fans.
But then there is another low frequency thrum in the background which seems to be evident on the move. is it related to the the traction electronics? Or is the air conditioning compressors because it disappears through the neutral sections.
If I had a sound level meter, I would be very interested to see what the sound levels are in the passenger saloon in certain areas because this is potentially headache causing.

It's a difficult sound to pinpoint the cause of because it also doesn't seem to be present when the train is stationary. And it does seem to build up when the train is under power in both electric and diesel modes.
I was wondering whether it might be something to do with the aerodynamics. But as mentioned earlier, it does seem to disappear during the neutral sections while the ventilation fans keep running.
Next time I'll have to sit in another vehicle or sit in a different location in the same vehicle to see if It is louder or quieter elsewhere.
Performance wise, these are slightly quicker on electric than a class 222.
But definitely slower on diesel. The surprise is that these post an almost equal 0 to 60 mph time as a class 805 Evero train - which has less power.
The difference though is how that power is applied. Class 805 drivers seem to be able to give their trains almost full power from a standing start.
Station starts on 810s so far are very restrained in comparison. There's varying driving styles at the moment but it looks as though drivers are being instructed not give it the full beans until the unit has reached about 28 to 30 mph - on diesel at least.
Electric starts don't have the same gusto as an 80x either, again, it does feel as though drivers are applying power slowly and progressively.

I am not sure if the issues experienced on my first run in getting power down to the rails with four less motored axles a class 805 unit is to blame?

 

[800001]

Okay, here's my observations after a second trip. Listening to the comments of people joining these trains, it's clear that people are impressed by the cleanliness, the look and feel of the cabin and the brightness. I travelled in coach A both ways which would be the country end.
There was a slight concern at St Pancras when the driver appeared as though he couldn't get into the cab. But with the help of a technician he did get in before departure time.
And then another moment of concern when the diesel engine started up at St pancras. But after a few minutes the engines were switched off and we departed on electric.
Definitely the most annoying aspect of the new interior is the very loud air conditioning or ventilation fans.
But then there is another low frequency thrum in the background which seems to be evident on the move. is it related to the the traction electronics? Or is the air conditioning compressors because it disappears through the neutral sections.
If I had a sound level meter, I would be very interested to see what the sound levels are in the passenger saloon in certain areas because this is potentially headache causing.

It's a difficult sound to pinpoint the cause of because it also doesn't seem to be present when the train is stationary. And it does seem to build up when the train is under power in both electric and diesel modes.
I was wondering whether it might be something to do with the aerodynamics. But as mentioned earlier, it does seem to disappear during the neutral sections while the ventilation fans keep running.
Next time I'll have to sit in another vehicle or sit in a different location in the same vehicle to see if It is louder or quieter elsewhere.
Performance wise, these are slightly quicker on electric than a class 222.
But definitely slower on diesel. The surprise is that these post an almost equal 0 to 60 mph time as a class 805 Evero train - which has less power.
The difference though is how that power is applied. Class 805 drivers seem to be able to give their trains almost full power from a standing start.
Station starts on 810s so far are very restrained in comparison. There's varying driving styles at the moment but it looks as though drivers are being instructed not give it the full beans until the unit has reached about 28 to 30 mph - on diesel at least.
Electric starts don't have the same gusto as an 80x either, again, it does feel as though drivers are applying power slowly and progressively.

I am not sure if the issues experienced on my first run in getting power down to the rails with four less motored axles a class 805 unit is to blame?

Out of interest why would there be concern at St Pancras if diesel engines were started rather than electric?

 

[D365]

Station starts on 810s so far are very restrained in comparison. There's varying driving styles at the moment but it looks as though drivers are being instructed not give it the full beans until the unit has reached about 28 to 30 mph - on diesel at least.
Electric starts don't have the same gusto as an 80x either, again, it does feel as though drivers are applying power slowly and progressively.

I am not sure if the issues experienced on my first run in getting power down to the rails with four less motored axles a class 805 unit is to blame?

Haven’t you answered your own question? I don’t imagine that adhesion is a concern.

 

[Railperf]

Haven’t you answered your own question? I don’t imagine that adhesion is a concern.

It's not a a question. More of an observation on how the units appear to be driven. Although the slow ramp up of power in diesel mode may well indeed be programmed and outside of the driver's control.
What I do know is that in very wet conditions It seems that wheel spin is detected causing the engine to back off to idle requiring a little bit of time to reset before acceleration can restart.
From what I've been able to glean from drivers, the feeling is that the class 222s traction control system is far better at managing wheel spin.
The starting acceleration of the class 80x in both modes was something that operators were crowing about. But so far the 810 feels a step backwards.
Leaving a platform in diesel mode the 80x is a quicker train - even if the 810 will eventually catch and pass it.
Hopefully this is early days and we'll start to see the 810s perform closer to the 222's they are replacing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Finally managed to track one down yesterday and spent about 50 minutes on it from Kettering to St Pancras, and back on a 222.

First impressions were much better than I thought to be honest. In particular the legroom, while not good, is not as bad as it looks on the pictures. I sat in a normal seat and at 6' 4" with a long femur I fit, just, though it'd not work well for me to sit next to another tall person as my knee has to go in the gap between the seats due to the poor design of the LEAN's seat back. Perhaps less of a fan of the wings on the headrest which are a bit low down and so push my shoulders forward a bit. The LEAN isn't my favourite seat by any stretch, though at least they don't come with a strategically placed metal bar. They are also quite hard, but are mounted quite high up so your knees are lower down and so fit a bit better.

Some other nice improvements over other 80x include (that I could see from a quick walk along the unit) only two seats per unit against a door pocket (in the end vehicle), it appears that because the doors open towards the corridor connection the 2m ish taken off each vehicle has mostly come from here. Though to be honest these wouldn't be an issue if, as they should, they all had luggage racks in! Speaking of luggage racks, the design of stack used is more space efficient than other 80x, and the overheads are as capacious as usual for these units. Also good that seats aren't cantilevered and the legroom in the window seat is good as the heating conduit is completely absent. The leather headrests also give a premium look compared with other 80x which are quite austere.

It's noticeable that it's near enough entirely a new design - none of the interior fittings, not even the lighting conduit which is common across all other Hitachi units is the same!

The ride also seemed good compared to other 80x, though it could be that the south MML is just particularly good, they ride very smoothly on the WCML fasts too as these are almost German quality.

I would say these are better than the "standard" 80x, i.e. GWR/LNER/TPE etc. I wouldn't say they were better than the Avanti ones, though there are features I like on both - I prefer the higher number of airline seats on the 810, for instance - to me the Avanti units have slightly too many tables, but equally the legroom and seats on the Avanti units are better. Maybe I'd say I prefer the Avanti ones but these come second?

The 222 by contrast stank of fumes, had uselessly poor levels of luggage provision (lots of problems stowing stuff), was a bit dingy in lighting terms and was just generally dated. Probably better than a 220/221 but only just. I hope ScotRail do a major refurbishment on them before they enter service. So the 810 definitely beats these, but it wouldn't be hard, I've never been a fan of them.

Certainly suitable for the max 2.5 hour ish journey times on the Midland. Only question is if there are enough of them.

 

[Kite159]

Interior wise, the seats are reasonable (other than the pointless fixed armrest at the window, suitable only for children), with luggage provision being a lot better than the 222s (you can actually use the overhead racks!).

Only having 1 plug & 1x USB socket per a pair of seats seems a bit of a downgrade compared to the other Hiatchi units (other than Avanti) which had 2 plug sockets, likewise the lack of window blinds shouts out at cost-cutting. Seat back tables on the airline seats are quite large, although the first train I tried the power wasn't working and the 2nd it suggested it was working but wasn't actually doing anything. The unit I had yesterday (013) the power was working). Even the coaches with the diesel engines were quieter compared to the 222s.

Reasonable legroom in the seats I tried out as well.