First look at HS2's state-of-the-art high speed trains

HS2 Ltd confirmed in December 2021 that a Hitachi/Alstom JV has been awarded the contracts to build Britain’s next generation of high speed trains at their factories in Derby and County Durham in a major deal set to support 2,500 jobs across the UK.

The landmark contracts – worth an initial £2bn – will see the JV design, build and maintain a fleet of 54 state-of-the-art high-speed trains that will operate on HS2 – the new high-speed railway being built between London, the West Midlands and Crewe.

Capable of speeds of up to 225mph (360km/h), the fully electric trains will also run on the existing network to places such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and the North West. Building on the latest technology from the Japanese Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ and European high-speed network, they will be some of the fastest, quietest and most energy efficient high-speed trains operating anywhere in the world.

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[ekeating]

About time this contract was awarded. Building train sets will stay in the UK and support UK labour force. Looking forward to seeing final design /mockup.

[jermainetrainallen]

OMG THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS!!! Congrats to Hitachi and Alstom. Lets get these amazing looking trains built

[gzknk]

Let's hope the move to uncomfortable and cramped interiors in Azumas is not happening on HS2 as well. Let's have comfortable seats, adequate leg room, seats matching window positions, and good quality interiors.

[cannadineboxill-harris]

I needed to know why they don’t dig a tunnel and do an extension for the main line Train so that they can extend the unused abandoned underground train stations. Why couldn’t they use the part D78 Stock train doors on the sides and also restructure the front face of the A60 and A62 stock that includes the class 313, class 314 and class 315 remix and make them all together and also redesign them an overhead line and also make them into Five cars per units and also having three Disabled Toilets on those Five cars per units A60 and A62 stock trains and also convert the A60 and A62 stock trains into a Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Engines and also put the Loud 7-Speed Voith Gearboxes even Loud 8-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Gearboxes in the A60 and A62 stock, class 313, class 314, and class 315 and also modernise the A60 and A62 stock and make it into an 11 car per unit so it could have fewer doors, more tables, computers and mobile phone chargers. A Stock Trains and also having 8 Disabled Toilets on those A stock trains. why couldn’t we refurbish and modernise the Waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel and make it larger and extend it to the bank station, making it into a Triple-Track Railway Line so those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden to convert the waterloo and city line Triple-Track Railway tunnel into a High-Speed Railway lines? The Third Euro tunnel Triple-Track Railway line to make it 11 times better for passengers so they could go from A to B. Then put the modernised 11 car per unit A Stock and put them on a bigger modernised Waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel so it could go to bank station to those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. The modernised refurbished 11 cars per unit A stock could be a High Speed The Third Triple-Track Euro Tunnel Train So it is promising and 47 times a lot more possible to do this kind of project if that will be OK for London Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. oh by the way, could they also tunnel the Triple-Track Railway Line so it will stop from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex so that the Passengers will go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden and also extend the Triple-Track Railway Line from the Bank to Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Stations so that more people from there could go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden more Easily. Why couldn't they extend the Piccadilly Line and also build brand-new underground train stations so it could go even further right up to Clapton, Wood Street can they also make another brand new underground train station in Chingford and could they extend the Piccadilly Line and the DLR right up to Chingford? All of the classes 150, 155, 154, 117, 114, 105, and 106, will be replaced by all of the Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Five carriages three disabled toilets are air conditioning trains including Highams Park for extended roots which is the Piccadilly line and the DLR trains. Could you also convert all of the 1973 stock trains into an air-conditioned maximum speed 78 km/hours (48 MPH) re-refurbished and make it into a 8 cars per unit if that will be alright, and also extend all of the Piccadilly train stations to make more space for all of the extended 8 car per unit 1973 stock air condition trains and can you also build another Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive Companies and can they order Every 67 Octagon and Every 37 Hexagon shape LNER diagram unique small no.13 and unique small no.11 Boilers from those Countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, can they make Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive speeds by up to 147MPH so you can try and test it on the Original Mainline so it will be much more safer for the Passengers to enjoy the 147MPH speed Limit only for HS2 and Channel Tunnel mainline services, if they needed 16 Carriages Per units, can they use those class 55’s, class 44’s, class 40’s and class 43HST Diesel Locomotive’s right at the Back of those 18 Carriages Per Units so they can take over at the Back to let those Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s have a rest for those interesting Journeys oh can you make all of those Coal Boxes’s 18 Tonnes for all of those 147MPH Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s so the Companies will Understand us PASSENGER’S!! so please make sure that the Builders can do as they are And Please do something about these very very important Professional ideas Please? Prime Minister of England, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Germany, Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister of Poland and that Includes the Mayor of London.

[TheosTrainsWalesOfficial]

Cannot fucking wait for these to be in service!

[chish]

All sorted then despite Siemens whingeing as they always do when they lose.
In fairness the consortium is really Bombardier / Hitachi who built the Frecciarossa 1000 for Italian railways which is the fastest and quietest very high-speed train in Europe. Alstom just bought out Bombardier.

[transitimprover]

Well you have the design done, even the smaller details like The placement of the specific service, the destination, and the call in points

[sergiofreitas]

This looks heavily inspired on the current Hitachi IET, the shapes and all, I wonder if they're similar.
If so, let's hope there's no quality control issues like those that plague the IET.

[sacleocheaterz]

Interesting that the article mentions body and bogie assembly rather than manufacture in the UK. I am assuming the most critical parts will still be manufactured in France/Japan and sent over for assembly.

[DaveJNoel]

Nice graphical videos are all well and good, but what about details. Will these trains provide genuine level boarding?

[Bigjonathan]

I love this rolling stock I can't wait to go on it in future

[ijstock]

It was inevitable that this would go to a company that would build them in the UK, given the current government's persuasion. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder how they will shape up quality-wise to offerings from the likes of Siemens. The current Hitachi units are not without their critics...

[pimpmyhogauge]

I wonder if dedicated HS2 rolling stock will be procured too, to take advantage of HS2's load gauge. dedicated sets to shuttle from Birmingham to London maybe? I don't think so, however...

[quas]

Still a bit bummed that they aren’t double deckers, thought HS2 was going to cash in on that UIC spec sorta vibe (please oh my god we need double deckers so bad) til they deleted half the line and said they’d be running on conventional track (so much for the victorians). So long as they aren’t those godforsaken IET/Azumas I’ll be happy

In hindsight so long as they manage to decide in their infinite wisdom on what the hell they want to do with it I’ll be happy.

[manomaylr]

Also, why only one door per car on either side? IET’s have two doors per car on either side.

[dand]

You already have HST (Class 43) Why do you need another one?

[peterwilliamallen]

This is fantastic news as a supporter of HS2, but what I dont understand is why people think that these train were going to be built to the European Berne Gauge or Double Deck trains, none of these ideas have ever officially been said, it has always been said that they will be built to the British Loading Gauge and single deck trains as they would not be able to work on the existing British Railway network which they will have to North of Crewe.

[theancientsancients]

They just look like any modern train in the UK, I really imagined something that looks bit more futuristic like trains in China and Japan with the cost involved. They look more like French Alstom Old Eurostar trains from decades ago

[chriso]

Please can we have double locomotive hauled trains in the HST style. Much quieter carriages

[michaelboyraz]

That thin is so further train and it going to fastest train ever in Britain and is very betifull