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The InterCity 225 is the fastest domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark IV coaches and a Driving Van Trailer. The Class 91 locomotive was built by BREL at Crewe works as a spin off from the Advanced Passenger Train project, which had been abandoned during the 1980s.
Service history
The InterCity 225 entered service with British Rail on the East Coast Main Line in 1990. The units also operate on a small section of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carstairs. In 1996, as part of the privatisation of British Rail, all of the existing InterCity 225s were sold to HSBC Rail, who now lease them to GNER.
The InterCity 225 is still potentially the fastest domestic train running in the UK, with a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham an Intercity 225 reached 162 mph (260 km/h). Except on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, British block signaling does not normally allow trains to exceed 125 mph (200 km/h), however, mainly due to the braking technology currently in use. The Advanced Passenger Train of the early 1980s used a new hydrokinetic braking system to allow it to brake from 155 mph within existing signalling distances. It is believed that the project was originally to be called APT-U but this name was dropped after the failure of the previous APT-P trains and to avoid the negative publicity related to the APT. The project was then renamed to InterCity 225.
The future
GNER and Bombardier Transportation have been carrying out a complete rebuilding and refurbishment programme for the Mark IV coaches, called Project Mallard, since late 2003. Trains with these rebuilt coaches are known as Mallard sets, to distinguish them from unrefurbished 225s; the name echoes the Mallard steam locomotive, which was built in the 1930s by GNER’s predecessor, the London and North Eastern Railway, and holds the world speed record for steam locomotives.
Mallard sets can be distinguished by their livery, as coach doors are coloured GNER red, rather than the blue of the unmodified coaches. Within, the coaches have slightly amended layouts of, for instance, toilets, buffet car and kiosk, wheelchair-width doors, and such, and have new styles of seats and tables.
Mallards also provide one mains-voltage electrical socket per pair of seats, as of June 2006, 25 of their 31 Mallard trains offer 802.11b/g wireless LAN access to the Internet. GNER's wifi rollout is currently running several months ahead of schedule, and should be completed on all Mallard electric trains well before the end of 2006. Access is complimentary in first class, and chargeable at rates similar to internet cafes in second class - about £6 for an hour. As of June 2006, a new tariff was introduced giving 24-hours' access for £9.95 (previously 3 hours for the same price). GNER’s wireless Internet connectivity was run as a trial from December 2003, and introduced into service from April 2004, making it the first service of its kind in the United Kingdom, though similar services are now offered by Virgin Trains and Southern.
As of April 2006, the entire fleet of coaches have been transformed into Mallards.
See also
- GNER
- East Coast Main Line
- Class 91 electric locomotive
- Mark IV coaches
- Driving Van Trailer
- InterCity (British Rail)
- Advanced Passenger Train
External links
High-speed trains | Rolling stock
- * A comparison of the design of the IC125 and IC225.
"InterCity 225"