Express & Star

Sleek nose-cone HS2 train design is unveiled before crucial MPs vote

By
Published
Last updated

This is what the new trains on the controversial HS2 rail line between the Midlands and London will look like.

moreThe trains which will travel at 225mph have been designed to keep external noise to a minimum and today new artist impressions were unveiled.

It has also emerged that the trains on the planned multi-billion pound high-speed train network could have touch screen windows that would allow passengers to search for information on everything from arrival times to scenic landmarks.

The train's ultra-aerodynamic nose cone will help the as-yet-unnamed train to operate commercially at 225mph, although in test conditions it could match Japan's 275mph bullet trains.

The current top operating speed on UK tracks is 175mph, which is reached on the HS1 route between London and Kent.

The fastest passenger train in the world is the CRH380A, which runs between Beijing and Shanghai and has reached speeds of 302mph.

The design has been released before the divisive House of Commons vote on Wednesday, when up to 40 Conservative MPs are expected to rebel against the £33 billion project oiver concerns it will slice through Tory heartlands, will bring no economic benefit while destroying the countryside and blight homes.

The Government argues HS2 will help to bridge the north-south divide by cutting journey times and fuelling economic growth in the Midlands and north. It hopes the first stage of the project, between London and Birmingham, would start in 2017 and finish in 2026. The second stage, to Manchester and Leeds, would be completed by 2033.

High Speed 2 Ltd is the body responsible for developing the new railway service to be completed by 2026 if it is given the green light. The project would involve building tracks in a Y shape, from London to Birmingham and new stations in the north of England.

The proposed route will go through Whittington, near Lichfield, Great Haywood and Ingestre near Stafford.