On 18 March, 2016, Sir Richard Branson unveiled the first Class 800/1 unit to be branded in Virgin Trains East Coast 'Azuma' livery at Kings Cross Station.
Since then, the Hitachi fleet of IEP test trains, based at the new Doncaster Carr Depot, have completed thousands of hours of testing over the ECML and while Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) have been replaced as franchise holders by London North Eastern Railway (LNER), 'Azuma' five and nine car sets are due to commence public services on the East Coast Main Line during early 2019.
The idea of Digitrains was conceived over the dinner table and grew very slowly as doubts calmed missionary zeal. We finally took the plunge in January 2005 and are fortunate to be dealers for some of the best and most user friendly DCC equipment available.