The High Speed Diesel Train Revisited
I said in The Train That Won’t Go Quietly, that it is likely that the High Speed Diesel Train or IC125 will still be in front-line service in 2030 or perhaps even 2040.
A lot on my part was speculation, but articles have started to appear in respected journals, that show 2035 is not only easily achievable, but achievable with increased fuel efficiency, much higher service intervals and with meeting all regulations concerning safety, doors and toilets.
The most surprising thing I read in the article in Modern Railways, was that a full computerised structural analysis on the Mk. 3 coach showed that they were good for a sixty year lifespan and were very much better than expected. They also found that the coaches were very stiff, which probably explains why passengers like the ride. I certainly find it better than a Pendolino.
But knowing the way governments think and engineers design and make-do and mend, I think that 2035 will be a date that when they retire the last IC125, will be long in the past.
I’m travelling on two tomorrow as I go to Swansea to see Ipswich play. The trains cover the 191 miles from London in around three hours including stops.
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The Anonymous Widower 
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