The specifications in the franchise agreement required FTPE to order 100 mph capable diesel multiple units. Also specified was air conditioning, two toilets per vehicle with one suitable for reduced mobility passengers, gangways between individual carriages, luggage and bicycle storage space, passenger compartment CCTV, provision for wheelchair passengers, and first-class seating. Additionally the train's acceleration was to be an improvement on the and comparable to the . The agreement specified 168 carriages, with an initial option to reduce the carriage order by 18.