A tender was called in May 2020 for 10 six-car intercity EMUs, with three manufacturers putting up bids for the project[2]
CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, which had manufactured the earlier Class 93, was awarded the tender for the new trains. As part of the conditions, 2 sets would be manufactured at CRRC Zhuzhou’s factory in China while the remaining 8 sets would be manufactured in CRRC’s factory in Batu Gajah, Malaysia.[3]
The train has a capacity of 312 seats, with 276 standard class seats and 36 business class seats.
Compared to the earlier Class 93, the class features a 14.2% improvement in acceleration and a 24.5% increase in tractive effort[4]. The battery capacity for auxiliary power is 640 A h, double that of the Class 93s. This allows the train’s emergency lighting and ventilation system to function for two hours without overhead catenary supply[4].
The train meets the EN 15227 crashworthiness standard and EN 45545 fire safety standards[4].
