HS2 has revealed what the interior of its trains could look like for the first time.
Rail enthusiasts heading to Alstom’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby at the weekend had the first opportunity to see the concept designs for HS2’s Class 895 trains.
As part of the rail exhibition, focused on the future, visitors were given the opportunity to book a tour of a life-size model carriage fitted out to illustrate the potential design of the high speed train.
James Dawson, HS2 Ltd’s senior rolling stock engineer said: “We’ve dedicated time and energy into understanding what matters most to people when they travel by train, and by listening and acting on feedback we can be confident that our interior designs will meet and exceed passengers’ needs.
“These trains will run across Britain on high-speed and conventional lines for decades to come, so it’s important we get the fundamental design right, not just for today but also for the future.”
The public has played a major role in shaping the initial design concepts. Twenty dedicated user groups and a consumer focus group of over 500 people have helped to inform the passenger experience.
New design features aim help to ensure the train will be accessible for all. Step free access at new HS2 stations, audio announcements and visual display screens in the toilet cubicles are among the features includes.
HS2 say customers travelling with mobility aids will also have greater freedom to select their seat and wheelchair users can expect equal provisions as found at all other seating on the train.
Other design features include a seat pitch with more leg room than any other standard class UK trains, more overhead and beneath the seat luggage storage, baby changing tables, clothing/bag hooks and a pull-down child seat in toilet cubicles, saloon seats with drop-down tray table and a separate shelf to stand phones on when viewing video content, multiple power and charging options including three pin plugs and USB-C, and redesigned horizontal bike storage to make it quicker and easier for cyclists to board and alight
But when passengers will actually get to experience travelling on the line between London and Birmingham remains unclear after the government confirmed the opening of HS2 would be delayed beyond the target date of 2033.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander vowed in June to address years of mismanagement and restore public trust in the highly controversial line.
A recent government commissioned report sets out evidence of the historic mishandling of the line including a lack of ministerial oversight and scrutiny, inadequate control of the project by HS2 Ltd and a lack of effective incentives with the supply chain, which will collectively cost the taxpayer billions more than planned.
Some 54 kilometres of the 190km track will cut through the heart of Warwickshire, with a new station also being built near Birmingham Airport. Swathes of the county’s landscape has already been transformed by work on the line.
