UK: The necessity to prevent body cracking is identified in a report by the British independent regulator, Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The report also proposes a six-year plan to modernise 1,734 Hitachi Rail class 385/395/800/801/802 regional train cars currently operating in the country.
Last May, UK passenger operators Great Western Railway (GWR), London North Eastern Railway (LNER), TransPennine Express (TPE) and Hull Trains temporarily removed from operation 182 5- and 9-car Class 800/801/802 trains after the discovery of cracks in one of the trains in the places where the bogie was attached to the body. By November, all vehicles were returned to permanent service.
ORR notes in its report, that the occurrence of cracks was due to higher loads in operation than was planned in the design documentation. However, the regulator does not explain the nature of these high loads, separately focusing on the fact that there are no problems with the railway infrastructure along the train route. In turn, Hitachi Rail claims that the problem of cracking is not related to the composition of trains and their service life.
After examining the occurrence of these defects in more detail, ORR also found cracks in the lifting plates, which were caused by corrosion due to the use of a special type of 7000 series aluminum that reacts with air with a high chloride content. The regulator urges Hitachi to pay special attention to the use of this type of aluminum in the production of rolling stock and states the need for protective structures to prevent corrosion.
A place where cracks caused by aluminum corrosion were found. Source: railgazette.com
As a result, ORR worked with Hitachi to develop a six-year modernisation program for both the problematic Class 800/801/802 and Class 385/395 trains, which showed no cracks but shared a similar bogie-to-body design. The extremely long duration of the program is due to the gradual decommissioning of the rolling stock to prevent disruptions in the train schedule. Work is expected to begin this summer. Hitachi plans to upgrade the part of the body where cracks were found, in particular, to protect parts of the bogie that are prone to corrosion with a protective cover.
Protective cover offered by Hitachi Rail. Source: ORR
Hitachi Class 800/801/802 trains were ordered by British operators under the UK Department of Transport’s Intercity Express Program. To implement the contract, Hitachi Rail built a plant in Newton Aycliffe specifically. The production of the rolling stock started in 2014, four years later it began its gradual commissioning. GWR owns the largest fleet of trains of these series: it operates 57 Class 800 trains and 36 Class 802 trains. In turn, the LNER fleet has 23 Class 800 trains and 42 Class 801 trains. TPE operates 19 Class 802 trains, Hull Trains – 5 five-car trains of the same series.