The Class 800 series train was built for Britain's Intercity Express Program
Tens of thousands of train fans gathered to bid farewell to a Japanese train bound for Britain.
As reported by Asahi, the head car of a Class 800 train was transported through Yamaguchi Prefecture on 5 March, drawing a crowd of tens of thousands. The train was built for Britain’s Intercity Express Program, AKA Britain’s new high-speed railway network.
The head car was taken on a purpose-built trailer from Hitachi Ltd.’s Kasado coastal train factory to a nearby port about 4 kilometres away in western Japan.
According to the news source, transporting newly manufactured rail cars from the factory to the port is usually done between midnight and dawn to minimise traffic disruption.
However, on this occasion the head car of the Class 800 train left the factory at 2pm and was manoeuvred through public roads before reaching the port 40 minutes later.
City authorities who promote the city as one of “industrial craftsmanship” take advantage of such occasions as a new form of tourist attraction. The authorities asked the train factory and local police department to organise the special event.
The full train comprises of 866 carriages. The Kasado factories has shipped 240 cars to date and is known for its Shinkansen trains.