The units have been built since 2017 at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility and have been used on services on the East Coast Main Line since 16 September 2019.

As part of its production, the Class 801 units were ordered as part of the Intercity Express Programme and are in the Hitachi AT300 product family, alongside the closely related Class 800 units.

The Class 801 units were to enter service for both Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway but due to delays in the electrification of the GWML, it was announced in June 2016 that 21 nine-car (801/0) sets that were going to enter service with GWR would instead be converted to bi-modal operation.

[14] The first service to be operated with Class 801 units ran on 16 September 2019, with a pair of 801/1 five-car units operating several services between Leeds and London King's Cross, as well as one return trip between King's Cross and Newark Northgate.

[16] The nine-car Class 801/2 units were introduced on 18 November 2019, between King's Cross and Edinburgh.