26.11.19
Azuma trains take first LNER journey
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has celebrated the first service with the new Azuma trains. The inaugural southbound trip left Aberdeen at 07:52 this morning (26 Nov) for London King’s Cross.
The world-class Azuma trains are currently replacing the LNER’s diesel High Speed Trains (HSTs) which have been carrying passengers on this route for around 40 years.
Aberdeen is the latest destination to benefit from the arrival of the bi-mode Azuma’s, and the process of replacement across the whole fleet will be complete by June 2020, when all 45 of the HSTs will be replaced with 65 new Azuma trains.
Additional luggage space in each carriage will also be introduced on the Anglo-scot route soon, and additional floor mounted luggage racks for large items will be installed in the new year.
David Horne, Managing Director of LNER, said:
“As one of our most popular routes, and Aberdeen being Scotland’s third largest city, we’re proud to be introducing our new Azuma trains connecting Aberdeen with Edinburgh and London.
“The Granite City is the gateway to the UK’s largest national park, the Caingorms, as well as being
surrounded by some of Scotland’s most scenic coastlines. It’s a magnificent destination all year round
and what better way to get to and from Aberdeen in style and speed than with our Azuma trains.
“We’re also pleased to be able to respond to customer feedback by increasing the space available for
luggage onboard our longer distance services where customers typically travel with more luggage.”
The train has an iconic tartan design, specifically representative of the East Coast route, and the words ‘Celebrating Scotland’ on the side.
Three LNER services in both directions every day are currently operational between Aberdeen and London’s King Cross, with an extra service between Aberdeen and Leeds on weekdays.
Innovative features of the new Azuma fleet include an extra 7cm of legroom with plug sockets and window blinds at every seat.
A traffic light seat reservation system is also on board to make reserved and available seats easier to identify.
Stops on today’s route include Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, Leuchars, Kirkcaldy, Inverkeithing, Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverly before continuing the journey to London King’s Cross.
Photo: Jim Ramsay / LNER