Business as usual! UK's Intercity Express sets off on maiden voyage from Bristol to London complete with broken aircon, 41-minute delay and standing room only - despite tickets costing £200

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The long-awaited Intercity Express was meant to mark a new era of train travel across the country.

However, its maiden voyage saw a throwback to the age-old complaints - with delays, no available seats, broken aircon and tickets costing £200.  

The Hitachi 800 was due to leave Bristol Temple Meads for London Paddington at 6am sharp but didn't depart until 6.25am for unspecified 'technical issues' - meaning it arrived 41 minutes late. 

Passengers were still forced to stand, despite claims that capacity on the new trains was increased by 20 per cent. And one had their laptop damaged as water from the air conditioning poured into one of the carriages.

There was further embarrassment when the maiden journey ground to a halt at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, all while Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was on board.

The IETs are meant to be faster, but will be running at the same 1 hour 45 mins journey time from Bristol to London for at least another year, while work to electrify the whole route takes place.

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Passengers were still forced to stand, despite claims that capacity on the new trains was increased by 20 per cent

One had their laptop damaged as water from the air conditioning poured into one of the carriages. The wet area was taped off

The train eventually arrived at Paddington at 8.55am after two-and-a-half hours - and more than 40 minutes late

The air conditioning had to be turned off when it started leaking meaning passengers who paid £204 for a standard return to London were left uncomfortably warm in the unseasonably mild weather.

There was further embarrassment when the maiden journey ground to a halt on the tracks at Taplow, Bucks because of an unexpected delay.

The train eventually arrived at Paddington at 8.55am after two-and-a-half hours - and more than 40 minutes late. 

Passenger Craig McCrum, 38, said 'water was pouring out' of the air conditioning system but he was 'not surprised' at the performance of the train because 'GWR is a complete shambles'.

He said: 'It's not the best. But I can deal with water pouring down if they can get me to work on time.

'I'm late probably 50% of the week. I get a train that gets me into London 45 minutes earlier than I should be just to allow for delays every day.'

Mr McCrum, who commutes from Chippenham, Wiltshire, to his job with a tech start-up company in Moorgate in the City of London, added: 'I pay the best part of £10,000 a year for this. It's pretty poor.

'They always say wait for the new trains, things will improve. They'll never improve.' 

This afternoon, Hitachi Rail Europe boss Karen Boswell said she was 'very sorry' for the delays and technical issues which led to water seeping into the carriage.

In a video message to passengers, Ms Boswell, who was on board the Great Western Railway service with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and other senior industry figures, said: 'I want to say to passengers that we are really sorry that the first service from Bristol didn't go as planned today.

'I was actually on the train and the delay and water leak meant that it was not the standard of service we expect and are known for.'

She explained that 'an air conditioning issue' resulted in water entering the carriage rather than being discharged outside.

She said: 'We can and will do better.'    

The first Hitachi Intercity Express trains, part of a £5.7billion fleet, are coming into service on the London-Bristol line with Great Western Railways.  

Some 122 of the trains are due to be in service by 2020. 

The trains have a top speed of 148mph, but only once they reach Maidenhead in Berkshire where the line becomes electrified. This speed will also be limited to 125mph without tracks being upgraded.

The delays in rolling out electrification also means that the engines will run on diesel fuel for part of their journeys.   

The first UK-built Intercity Express (IEP) train (pictured) was unveiled at the Hitachi Rail Europe factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, last December

The first Hitachi Intercity Express trains are coming into service on the London-Bristol line with Great Western Railways

They have a top speed of 148mph - but only after they reach Maidenhead in Berkshire where the line becomes electrified

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who was on the first service, said: 'These are the smartest trains in the country, probably the best we have ever had in the country'

Despite today's glitches some commuters said the new trains had 'a nice environment' and said they didn't care what fuel they ran on as long as they were on time.  

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who was on the first service, said: 'These are the smartest trains in the country, probably the best we have ever had in the country.

'This going to be a fantastic service, really regular trains and far more capacity.'

The Government has ordered 122 of the Hitachi trains in a £5.7bn deal with the Japanese manufacturers who also make the world-famous bullet trains.

The first will run between London and the south-west and more are due to come into service from the capital to Scotland on the East Coast route next year.

They are due to run for 27 years compared to the 40-year lifespan of the trains they are replacing.

The new trains are designed to travel faster as they accelerate more rapidly and include a digital reservation system telling passengers whether a seat is booked

The new trains are designed to travel faster as they accelerate more rapidly and include a digital reservation system telling passengers whether a seat is booked.

Carriages also have more plug sockets and Wi-Fi throughout. 

The fleet will be mostly produced in the UK at Hitachi's plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which opened last year.

The company also built the UK's first high speed service, HS1, linking London with Kent on Southeastern. 

A GWR spokesman said: 'Unfortunately, the train was delayed this morning due to a minor technical matter that was quickly resolved at the depot.

'These trains have been running successfully on UK tracks for over two years and recently passed the industry standard 5,000 miles running without a fault.

'Hitachi will be investigating this matter thoroughly.'