Hitachi Super Express

Super Express is the name given to the Hitachi multiple unit rolling stock forming the British Department for Transport's 'preferred option' for the Intercity Express Programme. It would initially be operated on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and Great Western Main Line (GWML), with maximum speed limited to 125 mph. Agility Trains stated that the trains could be upgraded "with minor modifications" to run at 140 mph. An in-cab-signalling system such as ERTMS would be required for the higher line speed.

In February 2010 it was announced that the Intercity Express Programme was suspended pending an independent report, with a decision on its viability to be given after the 2010 UK General Election, following the report in July 2010 the decision on the procurement was to be made later in 2010   and then this was deferred to 2011 along with decisions on the further electrification of the mainline network.

Original concept
Super Express was to have been be delivered in various types of 5 and 10 car unit. Depending on the version, power would be supplied either using 25 kV AC OLE, diesel engines and generator sets, or a combination of both ("bi-mode"). Agility Trains mentioned at least six types, including:
 * Type 1 - a 10-car diesel multiple unit, divided into several sub-types:
 * Type 1A - intercity
 * Type 1B - interurban
 * Type 2 - a 10-car intercity bi-mode (electro-diesel) unit, with an electric power car at one end and a diesel power car at the other
 * Type 3 - a 5-car electric multiple unit intended for commuter services
 * Type 4 - a 5-car bi-mode for commuter services
 * Type 5 - a 10-car intercity EMU.

Subsequently, Agility's website was modified to say "The Super Express Train can operate in any formation from 5 car to 12 car sets". Potential IEP formations of 10, 9, 8, 6, 5 and 4 passenger carriages were mentioned in Sir Andrew Foster's review of the programme.

The end cars in a unit would contain either transformer/rectifier, electrical generation apparatus and batteries, depending on version, but would not have powered axles. At least half of the axles on the intermediate carriages would be motored, receiving energy from the end cars via a power bus.

The self-powered and bi-mode units would use a hybrid power system, which might be similar to that trialled on a Class 43 locomotive and trailer combination.

Carriages would be 26 metres long and 2.7 metres wide, making them longer and narrower than previous British passenger rolling stock.

After review
On 25 November 2010 the Secretary of State for Transport (Philip Hammond) announced that a final decision on the Intercity Express Program and the Super Express train would be deferred to 2011 along with decisions on further electrification of the rail system. Two options for the non-electrified sections are still being considered: coupling of an EMU to a diesel locomotive or Agility Trains' proposal of a mixed fleet of electric trains with some featuring additional underfloor diesel electric generators.

Deployment
5-car trains were planned for use on commuter services from London on the ECML and GWML, with the option of their also being deployed on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line. Other deployments would be London King's Cross to King's Lynn and Cambridge, using Type 3s, and commuter routes in the Thames Valley from London Paddington.

10-car trains were to have entered service on the ECML from 2013 onwards, eventually replacing the Intercity 125 on the ECML, MML and GWML, together with the Intercity 225 trains used for London - Leeds/Edinburgh services.

There have been fears that the current express services may be reduced due to modifications necessary for the Super Express not being economically viable on lesser travelled routes currently served by the Intercity 125. Agility Trains claimed that the IEP dispenses with "the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades".

Manufacture
Agility's intention is to build the first 70 carriages in Japan and then construct the body shells in Japan and ship them to the UK. A new factory eventually employing up to 500 workers would be established in the UK to complete the trains.

High speed trains used in France (TGV), Germany (Intercity-Express), Italy (ETR 500), and Japan (Shinkansen) are primarily domestically manufactured. On hearing that Agility Trains was the preferred bidder for IEP, Bob Crow, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union's general secretary, said: "The Department for Transport has not answered the basic question of whether these trains will be manufactured in Britain or simply assembled here. If Japan can manage to ensure the high-speed fleet that operates on its own railways are manufactured entirely at home, there is no earthly reason why Britain cannot either."

Following a meeting on 24 February 2009 with Stephen Gomersall, Hitachi’s 'chief executive for Europe', Bob Rixham, National Officer for Railways for Unite, stated that the Agility IEP could "be the start of the renaissance of train manufacturing in the UK", and "Hitachi could become a major player serving the UK and also serving demand in the rest of Europe". Hitachi's Alastair Dormer stated he thought he could not stipulate where IEP components would be built.

Maintenance
New depots are planned for Bristol, Doncaster, Leeds, Reading and west London, and there would be upgrades to some existing facilities.