The Avanti Class 805 Trains are Now In Service
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Avanti have their new Class 805 'Evero' trains running on the West Coast Main from London to Chester and North Wales, to replace the old Voyagers. The first ones ran on Sunday June 2nd. Avanti invited me on a driver test train on a trip to Euston to Crewe, so i went along to find out everything you need to know about the new units ...
ALSO:
There's no Standard Premium coach, just four standard and one First Class. The Class 807 will have have 1.5 coaches of First Class. Scotrail's Class 385 trains also have Assistance Mode on the toilets.
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Disappointed that no one realised that I wore my t-shirt colour on purpose to match with the train ... 😂
( Unless it's in a comment down below that i've missed!)
I was actually just coming to mention you would blend into the train....
Excellent Coordination Geoff!
i dont know how i didnt see that lol
Oh I noticed I just didn't want you to think I was wierd or something....
hey geoff why you don't make a video about the dudding hill line
i got lots of information to give
i would be happy to contact you
That assistant mode on the accessible toilet doors! Now that's a huge step (in accessibilty, that is)!
Sadly no step forward for people with disabilities or eBikes who can't lift their bikes on to the hooks =/
True
Wouldn't it be better to have the door open from the other side, though? Seems like they are going for allowing a bit more privacy or modesty, but the door still opens basically exposing the person on the toilet!
@@theangryintern I caught myself irritated by that, too. But I guess, there had been a thought process, maybe with an accessibility group even. And: if you imagine the assisted person sitting on the toilet while the assistant leaves/enters, I guess possible views from the side would be better, more appropriate, than more from the front. And we shouldn't forget, that the assistant is walking through the narrowly opened door, thus blickong most of the view. And closing the door immediately afterwards.
@@Boopop1024Can’t agree more
6:06 free water Fountain on train! I’ve been banging on about and water fountains at stations are years, put on a train that’s a game changer.
Legionnaire's disease awaits!
What a huge step up from the woeful GWR 80Xs, decent seats, a buffet and even the lighting looks more subdued. Us Westerners can only hope that a refresh is not too far off. In the meantime the GWR trains shall be called Neveros.
Feel like the GWR 80Xs would be massively improved by replacing the seats, dimming the lights and giving them a proper cafe counter (the trolley service doesn't show up half the time you want it)
Or from what I read about gwr’s 800’s the numb bum service.. 😂
GWR has no money to spend on stuff like that, they need to plug the gaping holes in their fleet first, yes the 800s/802s are crap but at least they are useable, they have massive holes in their fleet and lots of units keep breaking down, not just 800s/802s, but often when its a networker, 387 or 158 that breaks down, its a 800/802 that is drafted in to replace it
@@dmncg1234567890 also if the train is busy and you get people in the aisle, they have to cut the trolley service but with a shop counter they can still run that if busy
I still think Azuma as a marketing brand is unbeatable on these trains. Honestly I even forgot the name Evero and had to rewind back.
I would think it's just a different marketing strategy - notice it's not even put on the livery, while LNER is advertising every service as an "LNER Azuma" service even on departure boards and announcements.
It makes sense to me because unless it's a full fleet replacement, heavily marketing your new trains means you end up with a good portion of passengers annoyed about traveling on the "old" trains.
Agreed re Azuma but I mainly associate them with the awful collapsed seat cushions. 7 hours to Aberdeen makes me want to bring a cushion with me
Hell, I even call all variants of the Hitachi trains "Azuma" because the name sticks, save for the 803s which I obviously call "Lumo"
Exactly Joey
I would think that considering these trains are relatively slow compared to the pendalino stock and more suited to services with lots of stops they are not going to link the two. In any case Azuma simply means east in Japanese. This is the West Coast so it wouldn’t make sense at all.
Whether you want an earth mover, a train, artillery support or something for the bedroom, Hitachi have you covered! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
All of which make the earth move in their own way!
They've a giant thats for sure.
Not jumping up and down about how great ScotRail is (we know it is here) but the Class 385 trains have had assistance mode for a fair while... So good to see other ToCs catching up! Great video Geoff!
didn't know this, thank you!
I presume this is because the class 385 is a Hitachi train too. This is the bit of the video that really cheered me up - being able to treat people with a degree of dignity!
Same as with the MkV's on Caledonian Sleeper services.
1:00 🚂💡ONE 'Avantiage' of this Video is that Geoff has made a very detailed explanation between the Class 800 trains 🧡 I Love it!🧸🐺
😂😂Ha, I saw what you did!
He did forget to mention that Scotrail and Southeastern also have their own Hitachi trains, the class 385 and 395 respectively and that the class 395 design was chosen as the preference for the IEP programme. Also LNER has their own class 800's for use on their partially unelectrified services like Harrogate, Aberdeen, etc. Otherwise quite a good explanation.
@@nathanw9770 Yeah, the lack of mention of LNER 800s was a pretty glaring omission in my opinion.
@@Dwagginzhe did mentioned it at 0:39
Another main difference between two of them, is that while he says both the 801 and 803 are electric only, the 801 has a backup diesel engine, whereas Lumo’s 803s don’t, as they argue it saved weight and would rarely be used
Went on the first 805 out of Birmingham. Very sleek trains and much better than voyagers; better for the environment, acceleration, capacity etc! Biggest upgrade will be the 807s though as they add the most capacity and more services (such as more Liverpool ones!). Overall the best AT300s too maybe bar Lumo - very good trains and great video Geoff 😆
It's surprising good, the second generation 80x are pretty much all good, for now....
swear i see you on all railway related videos. 2 great content creators in one place
@@gwrydd haha thank you! I don't think I should be compared to someone as good as Geoff though!
What about the sinks in the toilets? Do they follow the same design that gets water all over the floor?
Have they improved the design of the toilet so it doesn’t always get blocked?
Have they increased the size of the tank that feeds the flush and the sink so it doesn’t run out mid journey?
It seems the trend of awful seats is now over.
A new train that can do an impression of a Class 40 while it's waiting at Crewe! Amazing!
Yes, I thought that too.
Amazing indeed.
Perhaps the 810's will do an impression of a Deltic.
We live in hope. Lol.
I would like one to do an impression of a steam train
LNER have also got some class 800 azumas to run on their diesel only routes like Harrogate, Lincoln, Aberdeen, Inverness etc.
I have use the LNER Hull executive 800 a few times
Saw one tonight leaving Euston as I was arriving. It was amazingly shiny!
A wonderful, down-to-earth and informative video. Thank you!
Looks so much better than GWR which I had the displeasure of riding regularly. Shows what these trains can be
GWR are also the first users of the Hitachi 800 series, and have the most flaws for that reason. They’ve been building this train now for almost 10 years, so they’re good at it now. The first generation Bombardier Electrostar were also breaking down all the time and now is the most popular commuter in Britain
Looks great! I'll miss the bike storage on the Pendolinos, though - one of the best inter city bike racks, and much better than the horrible cupboards on the new Hitachis.
They're not replacing pendolinos (class 390) they're only replacing voyagers (class 221). At least for now since the pendolinos are approaching 22 years old and are currently getting refurbished
I like the fact that the closed captions stated you were at 'London Houston' @ 0:04 😀
Yeah, I noticed that the automatic captions always outputs 'Houston' instead of 'Euston' because it sounds similar. I think yt captions use American English which is why it always outputs 'realize' and not 'realise'.
We have a (transcription related) problem
Houston, we have a problem
Just removing a huge chunk of diesel under the wires is game-changing. Air quality at Euston will be so much better.
2:10 RGB makes it go faster!
I love how the sub-titles interpreted "Euston with Houston"!! Another great video.
Looks like a lot has been learned since the first Class 800s entered service with GWR. Good to see more table seats and good to see a luggage rack at the end of the carriage instead of no view window seats like the earlier 8xx class trains have.
Brilliant how great it must be to be in the drivers cab. Many thanks for making and sharing.
I was on an England away trip en route to Montenegro. At Villach station in Austria I decided to walk down to the end of the platform to take a photo. My guard asked me what I was up to. Long story the Driver ended up letting me in the cab all the way to the first stop in Slovenia. I never let on I wasn’t a British Driver which is what the guard thought I was. What a way to enter a new country
Not the first review to appear but definitely the best. You set the bar very high Geoff.
Your videos are fantastic Geoff, always so well put together! I've never been a train person but your enthusiasm is infectious 🙌🏻
The 805s look like an improvement - especially more seats aligning with the windows. Also good that at least some more room is provided for luggage. In many existing units such as the Pendolinos and Adelantes it can be an absolute bun fight trying to find somewhere to put your cases!
On class 196 CAF DMU unit's, you have the feature of pressing the button twice. The first time you press the open doors button, then you press it again, the door stops which is great for accesibility but unfortunatly hasn't really been mentioned much until I started saying all the features. Having been on the Evero units a few months back being inside of them whilst they were on test with no seats in made the train feel widley spacious! Great Video Geoff
Nice to see Stafford station as well. More Stafford please.
Geoff, id love a video one day on how you plan these out if its possible, to help us small time UA-cam folk.
I often intend to film stuff but get lost in what im doing and miss things so it would be great to see the kind of process that someone so successful uses.
All the best
Just went on one today from Birmingham New Street to Birmingham International, I was absolutely amazed.
Travelling on one on Sunday, will be filming for my UA-cam channel all about access, so glad you pointed out the carer mode in the toilets. Will definitely point this out in my video. Thank you
Travelled Euston--Holyhead on Tuesday 4 June in a 10-coach formation. The coach with seat bookings was quite full but the allocated space for luggage was quite inadequate. (The amount of luggage was not surprising since most were on their way to Ireland.) Seats were good and the ride was very smooth. At Chester the whole booked coach had to disembark and move forward since the platform at Flint is too short for 10 coaches; the rear coaches had to be locked. Both passengers and crew were furious. The crew insisted they had flagged up this problem earlier to Avanti management.
On the way back (11 June) we were in a 5-coach set due to link with another at Crewe. All seemed to go smoothly, but the linkage somehow knocked out the software governing the seat reservation system, meaning that passengers joining at Crewe and Stafford had lost all their seat bookings.
In the overall context, perhaps these can be considered minor issues, but they marred the enjoyment of the trip, amd I would think hard before booking withe Avanti again.
Excellent Geoff, as always. Looking forward to getting one of these on my London commute from Blackpool.
I loved the way Richard, Avanti's Communication Manager, said how by being in comms, that he "only deals in truth", with a wry smile and a glint in his eye.
Nice one.
Plus I love these already as, unless there was a stray Class 40 "Whistler" on an adjacent platform at Crewe, in diesel mode, they sound just like a 40 when idling.
If the 810's do a party piece of impressions of a Deltic, I'm absolutely sold and I haven't even been on one yet!!
L😂l.
yes i think it was !! i didn't see/hear it a the time. a Class 70 also passed through whilst we were stopped ( at Northampton, i think? ) which are quite rare to see too !!
@geofftech2 Oh, right. Thank you for that. Yes, that's quite rare, too.
Shame if it was a stray 40 and not the 805.
Would've been nice to hear that each time I'm on an Everard...sorry.. "Evero".
Lol.
"On an Everard"....Now, that DEFINITELY sounded better in my head.
I meant when I'm riding on an Ever...
I'm just making this Ever worse aren't I?
I'll shut up now.
😆
I use the WCML so found this very interesting; thanks Geoff.
Now all we need is for Avanti to be a bit more reliable. 🤞🙂
At the start I was waiting for a trumped up member of staff to tell Geoff he shouldn't be on the platform more than 3 mins after the train was due to leave in the huge rush they like to make.
Youl’ll be amused to know that two members of staff told me to stop filming, and i had to super politely point out that i was on an Avanti Press trip 😅
@@geofftech2 Can they seriously make you stop filming (assuming you aren't press)?
Whether they can or they can't, that's extremely petty. Walking up to a (potential) trainspotter's proverbial sandcastle and kicking it down, all to protect people from... camera violence?? Seriously, what's the issue?
Stand behind the yellow line! BEHIND! THE YELLOW! LINE!!!! 😶🌫️
@@caramelldansen2204 I've had that. I was stood on the westernmost platform at Warrington Bank Quay last December, so far behind the yellow line that my back was against the wall grabbing a quick shot of one of the new TfW units and one of the "Safeguarding officers" stood right in front of me and asked what I was doing. Being rail staff (though off duty, in civilian attire at the time), I was super polite and told them I was just taking a photo of the train as I was waiting on mine arriving. They then turned their back to me, blocking the shot until the train had left. Proper bully stuff.
I work on the infrastructure now, but in a previous career I was a guard for a TOC. I know the rules for filming on the network, and I'm never in a position where I could be of concern and never get in the way of passenger flow or despatch duties. I even try to avoid taking photos of staff/passenger faces, usually waiting until any staff are looking the other way before hitting the shutter. This was just a petty power trip.
@@caramelldansen2204 from what I understand, on any national rail service , station or property, you are allowed to film , wether your press or not.
TFL , your not supposed to but they let it slide to be honest.
But I should mention; merseyrail, Tyne & Wear metro , lizzy line and overground staff make out you can't but you can as they are national rail services and you are within your rights to say : "oh , I know I am allowed to film as this is a national rail service"
But basically, geoff was allowed to film as he was on a national rail property so he could have even said to them that he knows he can as its national rail.
Hello there Geoff, there is a slight omission at the beginning of your video when you remind and inform us of all the operators who have Hitachi Class 800 variant trains, as LNER do indeed have a mixture of both Class 800 bio mode and Class 801 electric only trains. The LNER Class 801 work services to Lincoln, Middlesborough, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness as they directly replaced the well loved InterCity 125 sets (2 Class 43 Power Cars + 9 Mark 3 trailers per a set).
Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
They do impressive, I have seen them but haven't rode on one yet, great video
I was supposed to travel on one of these last week coming home from Chester, but true to form it was cancelled because they didn't have the crew to run it from Crewe... same old Avanti!
Nice train! When Geoff was looking at the luggage racks I was surprised how plain and bland it ended up looking it the background!
I’ve been riding these from Stafford to Crewe on my early morning commute, boy do they shift!
Amazing video as per Geoff, noticed one very small inconsistency though in that LNER also do have bi-mode class 801s to compliment there 800 fleet, they use them to run services to Lincoln via the none-electrified Nottingham - Lincoln branch. I’m not sure on any other diesel routes but I’m sure there are 1 or 2 more!
Inverness and Aberdeen also. The Inverness services actually do the Electric to Diesel change at speed between Stirling and Dunblane (where the wires end). The Aberdeen services usually do it while stationary at Waverley (as the wires end just a mile or so out of Haymarket for routes over the Forth).
They look lovey, fantastic. Modern train travel is great . (In fact, they are so lovely they are up there with DLR and Croydon Trams !! 😀)
Hi Geoff great video as always. One thing you forgot to mention was that all the 800 fleet all started with Southeastern’s Class 395. The 395 has brilliant acceleration whilst under the wires, but not so great when on the 3rd rail.
I can remember when Great Western visited the 395’s to capture the cab’s features for their trains.
honestly the best part of these new units is the free water! this could have saved me many unpleasant journeys
Yes!
Those look SO much better inside than LNER or GWR units
Fantastic video, Geoff - the bi mode trains make so much more sense to me…
This is a brilliant video! Thanks for all the behind the scenes.
A water refill station? Game changing!
I’m sad to see the same old 80x bike spaces, hanging your bike up in one of those things is a truly awful experience.
My lower back has fallen victim to those things
Very brave of you to ride the train before it was crewed
I always enjoy that the subtitles change Euston to Houston !
That assistant mode is an amazing idea. Good to see that
Theyve got them on the 385s in Scotland as well, which i didnt realise. Fabulous innovation, yes. 👏
Hi Geoff, i enjoyed this video. Thanks.
I think the Voyagers get a lot more 'hate' than they really deserve and I was fully expecting these replacements to be even worse, with the terrible seating found on all the other 800s. I'm actually pleasantly surprised though and looking forward to a ride on these when I'm in the UK in October.
Goeff - your colour co-ordination didn't go unnoticed and is appreciated.
Great video Geoff. Nice to see inside the new Avanti trains. Seen them quite a lot on test at Crewe these past few months, both unbranded and Avanti liveried. Saw you at Crewe actually, walking down platform 2 and along platform 1. Thanks for the video.
I’ve been looking Foward to these trains for a while, and I’m really impressed by them!
Went on one yesterday to compare against my local Azuma Spacious, comfy could see out the window.. only issue being you could tell it was a slow train, you could tell it was not at full power for a lot of it..around Tring I don't know if it was engineering work but it slllllowed down. Went back on a pendolino. No seats. Windows made to look the countryside just blur past. I guess people get to choose now. Speed for comfort and a seat
Seats = park bench :) oh the joys of modern train travel ;) good job they are fast, before you bum goes numb ;)
I'm more of a station guy, but this was very enjoyable. Best new-train-video on this channel.
As always, yet another phenomenal video Geoff. Unfortunately quite a lot of negativity in these comments today which I always hate to see :(
Also, despite the double speed acceleration, I struggle to believe that they will be able to keep to an identical timetable if their limit is only 110mph. This is because there are many long runs between stations, so I don’t see how the initial faster acceleration will make up the time loss?
You forgot about the class 395 'Javelin' sets used on HS1. Although not part of the Class 800 family, they are still made by Hitachi and are the only one that is able to run on both 25kv AC (catenary) and 750v DC (third rail). It seems like all new intercity trains are of the same family now, with the notable exception of the Greater Anglia's 745 'FLIRT' units by Stadler.
Yup, it's all based on the Hitachi A-Train, originally designed for commuter and short-distance services.
Hope they've improved the seating. I've rode on the GWR and the LNER and there both not good. Give me HST seating anyday!
Scotrail 385’s also have the assistance mode button for the accessible toilets too
Great video. A well thought out train. Amazing acceleration.
Another really informative and entertaining one mr marshll
Great video Geoff! Your videos make me smile 😀
In terms of the IETs, I think these are some of the best - They're quite a step up on the reputation the earlier units gained for being uncomfortable, and The Shop being retained is something other operators should've done in the first place!
Best to call them the second generation of IEP's that's for sure
@@Greggs30806They certainly feel like a second generation of them.
I tried to get an 805 out of Euston today, but they swapped it for a Voyager. Not all bad. I've never been on an Avanti West Coast Voyager before, and I got the chance before they withdrew them. Unlike XC Voyagers, they have on board shops, and their interiors are nicer.
Thank you for sharing the video Geoff it was very interesting and great information.❤
Great video Geoff! These look amazingly good!
Nice video Geoff! I've been wanting to ride these for a while now but it looks like it's going to be quite difficult, they look really reliable and look really nice, I think they're just as good as the Class 390 pendolinos too, and 1:50 that reservation light disco lol
First impressions of the class 805s, there's a mixture of good and bad. Great acceleration, and obviously the fact that they will be running on electric most of the way on the Chester services is welcome, however one big let down is the seats in standard class are rock hard and uncomfortable for a long distance journey
I’d love to see these trains doing a direct stopping service from Hull, Leeds, Manchester Victoria, Chester to Holyhead, as part of an overhaul of the current SailRail offering, timed to meet ferry check-in times and ferry arrivals from Dublin on both Irish Ferries and Stena - and if they finally get the high-speed rail tunnel under the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin Connolly or Dublin Hueston, so much the better
1:49 reservation light disco!
I love getting on the 802s when the reservation system breaks. EVERY light is green and it's a riot!
I hate the Christmas tree lights on Hitachis. Always blaring and distracting, not relaxing at all. Overkill.
Good of Geoff to wear a matching shirt to the train livery
I've been looking for that comment so I didn't have to make it myself. Geoff is so very... 'Goeff' in that respect.
nice, cant wait to get onboard one!
Looks like a nice train. I noticed the better acceleration on electric trains at Didcot.
Looks like you had fun Geoff!!! 😉🤔🚂🚂🚂
"Pretendolino" is funny. 🤣
More seats round tables is definitely an improvement over the predominantly airline-style Voyagers, but if the seats are anything like the refurbished Pendolinos, they're not very well padded.
I hope they’ve made the seats more comfortable than on the LNER Azuma trains. Standard class seats are *horrendously* uncomfortable. Rock hard and give both tall and short people backache.
The seats are the same as the refurbished class 390's
Great video and I like the new class 805 very nice looking
The acceleration of the 805 is incredible however if the Pendolino is twice the length of the Evero and I'm assuming each coach is roughly the same weight (could be wrong), if the Evero gets to 51mph and the Pendolino gets to 26mph, proportionally that's a testament to the Pendolino. Also thinking their 20 years old and with their new refurbishment look in better condition than the other intercity trains especially the Azuma's.
ive been waiting for this one! cant wait to ride one eventually!
I cannot wait for my 1st trip on the 805s
Nice unit thanks Geoff I loke the GWR ones but not enough loos on there lol
0:28 It looks quite spacious and cool!
People like to shit on new ITE's but they look like a good upgrade from the voyergers. I'm a big fan of window alignment with table seats!
Thanks Geoff, that was great
The Class 805's might be my favourite out of the whole Hitachi fleet
Looks brilliant!! I hope GWR consider implementing a shop in the future in their IETs.
No we want a proper buffet back that you can stand up in out of of Pad.
Travelled on the 1621 BHM to Euston on Friday last week and then returned on the 1821 to BHM.
Everything worked except the seat reservations.
Layout of the shop is a lot better than the Azumas.
Geoff why was the changeover to Diesel done at Stafford when the OLE runs to Crewe.
Not wishing to rain on Avanti’s parade but those standard class seats are not particularly comfortable on the Pendolino. A recent four hour journey in one left me with a particularly numb bum. I really don’t know what TOCs have against seat padding. It’s as if they think comfort is a sin, not a virtue.
Rode from Euston to Chester on June 3rd, hoping I might get an 805, but no luck, got a Voyager because the driver hadn't yet been trained on the 805. Ah well, managed to find an 805 later in the week sniffing around on the North Wales mainline.
These trains look absolutely goreous! my favourite train is the class 390 and im wondering for how long they are staying on Avanti west coast. Great video as always!
An Evero driving to Crewe.
Pulled in on platform two.
Cried Geof Marshall, do shout and get out and about,
so the other TOCs will be wanting one too
Huh?
Nice train. Too bad we cannot have trains like that here in the states. We just have wore out Amtrak trains.
1:43 the train just giving us a reservation light show whilst Geoff talks
Ofc ur here!!
I must book a day trip on one of these trains when they are in service
More chance of a table seat is honestly my worst nightmare 😅 Really don’t like them, they always feel cramped and not great if you’ve got social anxiety (like me!) I normally try and go to the quiet coach instead in the hope of finding an empty row
I agree. I much prefer an airline seat, and will happily abandon my reservation if I arrive to find its a table seat.
Wow, they look amazing
I'm really liking the TP 802s, however these interiors look better than those - better power socket location, better window location.
Its amazing how big the cabs are. They look tiny in the outside
Bear in mind i was using a wide angled lens, which makes it look bigger than it actually is !!
Very nice trains the new Class 805 Evero are. And I think that these should also be used on other services including Shrewsbury and Wrexham.
Many passengers and train enthusiasts have complained about on why are they 5-Car and not 7-Car (just like the Class 807 that are 7-Car or maybe extend the Class 805 to 9-Car. But overall the Class 805s are amazing.
The Shrewsbury-London service has been scrapped
That’s a real shame to be honest. 😢😭