155mph Class 390s on HS2?!

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No point refitting existing trains when we don't have enough trains as it is today

HS2 must be fully built Both Eastern and Western legs must be built

Chris thank you for covering these HS2 and Pendalino topics all in the mix.

For HS2 to be truly viable, and make any sort of financial sense, the trains need to be running at very high speeds (at least 180-200mph) and cut journey times between London and Birmingham down to 20-30 minutes. It is definitely feasible, as most of the current planned line is mostly straight. The top speed recorded on the almost 20 year-old HS1 line is 186mph, so it has to be better than that. It still feels like billions down the toilet at this point.

7:02 of course hs2 is about capacity, but I'd stress that speed IS capacity, with a higher speed you can fit more trains in or at least more reliability in the timetable

Very well explained, Chris - timetabling trains is a complicated process and I can imagine there are dozens of different opinions!

For years I've wonder why the new HS2 trainsets could not be equipped with the air spring-powered active tilting system used by some of newest and fastest Bullet Trains of the Japanese Shinkansen, the JR East's E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen running at 200 MPH. The degree of tilt is small, only 1-degree (I read that tilt of 2 degrees is possible) but it would still offer some compensation in passenger comfort for increasing speeds on the WCML for the currently non-tilt HS2 trainsets.

The fact that this is even a question should show that the 390s are Really Explitively Good Trains. Presumably "train capable of HS2-level speeds" and "train capable of tilting in order to reach 125mph on the WCML" are mutually exclusive things.

Thanks for another very useful explanation. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. At 8:26 - remember there was to be a huge MPD built north of Crewe to stable and service half the HS2 fleet.

By the time this HS2 is open the Pendolinos will be life expired and nearly ready for replacement!

Above all else, this just shows that we don't need a high speed line. What we need is a high speed network to almost entirely replace existing intercity services. We also need to stop building terminus stations. Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham need through stations served by high speed rail which allows high quality and high capacity trains to travel further North from Manchester and Leeds. Under current plans, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds to the North and Scotland services will go from second class to third class service.

"30-year-old trains" - the 1989 Class 91 Electra locomotives were scrapped at 30 years, as were many of the original Class 373 Eurostars (admittedly after operating in a damp tunnel... oh, hang on, HS2 is in tunnels for half the Brum to EUS route.....)

What a mess the railways have been left with with the cancelation of HS2 north of Brum! I've been a big supporter of high speed for a long time to increase capacity. Unfortunately I think the present government will cancel the route to Euston and all we will be left with is a shuttle service from Birmingham to Old Oak Common without any link to WCML!

That would be cool though I like class 390s and use them all the time since I live in Warrington.

Thanks for the vid. Was unsure about this proposal when I heard about it. It just doesn't seem worth the effort to reengineer an entire fleet in such a way. At that point, you may as well just order new rolling stock surely. Either way, we need HS2 or some other new line to Crewe to connect with the line near Handsacre to relieve capacity on the WCML between Handsacre and Crewe

Good thinking, excellent summary and presentation.

It's not just a seating capacity reduction for Glasgow, either. It's a reduction for all of West Scotland, Cumbria, Lancashire etc too!

There is zero point to an extensive refurbishment of 30 year old stock, it would only have around 5 years service life left at that point, the bodyshells nowadays with the crash readiness means that they don't last as long as they used to.

Another rolling stock option would be to use the new US (Alstom, really) 'Avelia Liberty: a tilting train; aiming for 165mph on Amtrak's legacy NorthEast Corridor; designed for up to 186mph with tilting system engaged; designed for up to 220mph with tilt switched off. How about using a train like this at 200+mph London-Birmingham, then upgrading West Coast Main Line signalling for 140mph from Midlands to the North?