Killingworth
Established Member
Of the 26 sets, 17 are to be 2+5, the other 9 2+4 with 2 two sets (one of each I think) being extended to 2+6 within a few years.
That was the plan, this far all sets have been 2+4, hopefully we see some 2+5s before long.
Edit - You could probably make them all 2+5 quite easily, 2+6 might not fit everywhere, not too sure.
Thanks for confirmation that the current situation is worse than the low number of units currently released by Wabtec may suggest. At the current rate of progress the extra carriages to make them up to the planned configurations will still be in the workshops (if not still in storage) this time next year.
It's probably going to be 2021 before they can all be fully exploited in service. Maybe when Kilmarnock is fully contributing things will improve significantly.
I saw several Azumas on the ECML yesterday, and travelled on one. It
reminded me how much easier it must be to correct faults on brand new units than rusted bodies with a variety of repairs and alterations acquired over 40 years.