We reported back in April last year that the go ahead had been given on the new high speed Azuma train. With trains now fresh out of production trials have begun between London and Edinburgh, and already journey times have begun to shrink. Last week The new Azuma train shaved 22 minutes off the current journey time. The trial was carried out by train manufacturer Hitachi as part of its testing phase between now and 2018 - which is when they plan to roll out the new 65-strong fleet.
The trains will be operated by Virgin East Coast Trains and will bring the regular journey time down to just four hours (Kings Cross to Edinburgh). The new trains will utilise electricity and diesel power to boost passenger capacity out of London by 28 per cent during peak times.
David Horne, Virgin Trains MD on the East Coast Route said: ‘The Virgin Azuma will deliver a step-change in services between Scotland and England. Having the train visit Scotland for the first time as part of our testing is a really important moment and reminds us of the excitement it will bring to UK rail travel when it is introduced into service.

Azuma translates as “East” in Japanese and the Virgin train pays homage to its lineage and to the East Coast route. Scotland’s Transport Minister welcomed the test saying “Making rail an attractive alternative is an ideal way to encourage people out of their cars and into greener transport”

We’re looking forward to hopefully catching a firsthand glimpse of its sleek new design over the coming months as trials continue.