British Rail Class 803

Background

In 2015, the Office of Rail and Road allowed open-access operators to bid for additional rail paths on the East Coast Main Line. FirstGroup proposed a London–Edinburgh service with all standard class seating and an average ticket price of about £25.

The proposal was approved in May 2016. First signed an agreement with Hitachi in March 2019 to procure five five-car A-train units, financed by Beacon Rail under a ten-year maintenance contract. The first body shell arrived at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe facility in April 2020.

Design

The Class 803 shares a bodyshell with earlier UK A-train variants but lacks diesel engines. Batteries maintain on-board services if primary electrical supplies fail.

Seating is standard class only, with no galley area; catering is via trolley service. Air conditioning, power sockets, and free Wi-Fi are fitted. Additional luggage racks were added from 2024, and cloth seat covers were replaced with moquette throughout 2025.

Did You Know?

• On 17 April 2022, a Class 803 passed through points at Peterborough at 75 mph where the speed limit was 25 mph, causing minor injuries to passengers.
• The Rail Accident Investigation Branch published its findings on the Peterborough incident on 10 July 2023.