British Rail Class 810

Background

Electrification of the Midland Main Line north of Bedford was announced in July 2012, but was paused in June 2015 and cancelled in July 2017 by the Secretary of State for Transport, who opted for bi-mode trains instead. In August 2019, East Midlands Railway placed a £400 million order for 33 five-car bi-mode units, funded by Rock Rail East Midlands, to replace Class 180 and 222 fleets. Originally planned to enter service before December 2022, the fleet faced multiple delays, with a planned introduction in early 2025 also missed.

In October 2020, the Class 810 units were branded Aurora following a public competition. In June 2025, EMR announced a phased roll-out during 2026 after missing the May 2025 timetable change. The first unit was accepted into the fleet on 8 August 2025 after testing. On 10 November 2025, EMR confirmed the first units would enter service for the December 2025 timetable change, and the fleet was officially launched on 20 November at Etches Park depot.

The first train ran on 3 December 2025 on the 07:00 Sheffield to London St Pancras service. In 2026, reliability and maintenance issues led to reduced timetabled services and strike announcements by the RMT union over perceived safety issues.

Design

The Class 810 is derived from Hitachi's Class 802 design, but each carriage is two metres shorter so that ten-car trains can couple and fit into London St Pancras. Trimming the nose cone and reshaping the front helped achieve this reduction.

To match the performance of the older Class 222 units, the 810s carry four diesel power packs instead of three, each boosted from 700 to 735 kilowatts. These are located beneath the first, second, fourth, and fifth carriages, while the centre carriage holds the high-voltage transformer. Eight traction motors, each producing 290 kilowatts, are mounted on four bogies under the second and fourth cars.

Interior

In response to customer feedback on earlier Class 80x units, the Class 810 features unique seats designed for enhanced comfort, based on the FISA Lean design with altered appearance. EMR worked with Derby-based DGDESIGN on the interiors. The seats have wider cushions, more-sculpted headrests, softer and deeper armrests, additional privacy screening, and wool-rich moquette upholstery. Every passenger has access to power sockets, USB charging points, at-seat coat hooks, and under-seat storage.

Did You Know?

• On 19 June 2026, unit 810015 was involved in a collision with an EMR Class 360 south of Bedford.
• The collision involved the stationary Class 810 unit being hit from behind by a Luton Airport Express service.