Our new Intercity, Aurora fleet will transform the service and experience onboard the Midland Mainline - to and from London St Pancras.
The trains will have the ability to run using electric overhead lines taking advantage of the £1.5 billion Midland Main Line Upgrade.
As a result, they are quieter and greener, meaning lower carbon emissions and a better environment for our passengers, stations and communities along the route.
Major improvements to the new state of the art trains include more seats, modern interiors, air conditioning, free WiFi, plug sockets and better passenger information screens.
Sit back and relax
We want to provide the best possible experience when you travel with us, that is why we have gone to great lengths to source and adapt a brand-new seat for our new trains.
Working closely with Derby-based design firm DG DESIGN, we have taken the proven product of a FISA Lean seat and refined it to offer enhanced comfort and support.
The seat includes increasing the size of cushions, headrests and armrests and making sure that high quality durable materials are used throughout, such as a wool-rich herringbone moquette and leather.
At the same time, we have ensured the seats include all the practical and technological features including power and USB points, generous legroom, coat hooks , well-sized seat-back tables for all airline seats and space to stow a cabin-bag under each seat.
Great news for the UK’s manufacturing industry
The manufacture of the new trains, which are financed by Rock Rail East Midlands, is also great news for the UK manufacturing sector, as they are being built by Hitachi Rail UK in County Durham and include parts from a number of midlands and UK-based suppliers.
Aurora documentary
In the latest episode about the Aurora project, we provide customers an insight into how the carriage will look and highlights all the features EMR has worked so hard to refine. It features interviews with designers, suppliers and the EMR staff behind the project to bring the new start-of-the-art trains to the Midland Mainline.
Below is the first part of our Aurora documentary, which follows the project of building the new trains and the work required to bring them into service.
Part one highlights the challenges we will face as we work on introducing the new start-of-the-art fleet to the region and it shows the first units being built at the plant in the North East.
Why Aurora?
Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, representing the new start Aurora provides for the railway serving the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. It is also inspired by the Northern Lights, created by the transfer of the sun’s solar energy - matching Aurora's ability to run under electric power.