Northern track to slow down new trains planned for East Coast mainline

New trains planned for the East Coast mainline do not work properly with track-side equipment, according to reports.

The Azuma trains cause electromagnetic interference to older signals and points in the north of England, the BBC has found. This means the electro-diesel trains can only run on diesel, travelling much more slowly than their promised speed.

Network Rail told the BBC it was working with Japanese train manufacturer Hitachi to fix the problem but it was too early to identify a solution.

“We are committed to delivering improved passenger services and are working on a long-term solution,” a spokesperson said.

“In the meantime, the new trains continue to be tested on the East Coast Mainline.”

It is reported that the problem affects equipment that registers passing trains and instructs signals and points accordingly. The older system used on the line north of York does not work with the new trains when they operate on electric power.

The new trains are being constructed at Hitachi’s plant in County Durham. At expected speed they would reduce the journey time from Edinburgh to London by 22 minutes to four hours, the company said.

Network Rail said they were still due to be rolled out by the end of the year.