{"id":249214,"date":"2025-07-10T16:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T06:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=63889"},"modified":"2025-07-10T16:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T06:54:09","slug":"uks-iconic-high-speed-train-lives-on-for-freight-and-infrastructure-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=249214","title":{"rendered":"UK\u2019s iconic High Speed Train lives on for freight and infrastructure operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is a landmark year for Britain\u2019s railway heritage. Now, 200 years after passenger services started, work is underway to future-proof one of the country\u2019s most recognisable passenger trains, the iconic InterCity125, and retain examples for freight and infrastructure work. Sixteen of the classic High Speed Train (HST) Class 43 power cars are being fitted with European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment. That will ensure these veterans of the rails remain fit for freight, infrastructure, and charter duties on tomorrow\u2019s railway.<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u00a31.4 billion (\u20ac1.75bn) East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) is leading the charge to replace traditional lineside signals with real-time, in-cab digital displays. The HST upgrade, due for completion by mid-2026, will allow the world-beating classic diesel units to operate safely and seamlessly on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and beyond, as digital signalling expands across the UK network. An example of the marque holds the world record speed for diesel traction.<\/p>\n

Freight, infrastructure and charter operators invest in digital future<\/h2>\n

Of the 16 HST power cars undergoing the upgrade, four belong to RailAdventure, a specialist freight and stock movement operator with pan-European reach. Another four are owned by Locomotive Services Limited and are primarily used for high-end charter work. The remaining eight are part of the Colas Rail infrastructure fleet<\/a>, leased from rolling stock owner Porterbrook, and include the yellow-liveried New Measurement Train (NMT) used for track monitoring.<\/p>\n

\"A
A refurbished Class 43 power car at Loughborough, in Rail Adventure livery. Image: \u00a9 Network Rail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cRailAdventure are both proud and excited to play our part in the introduction of ETCS signalling on the ECML,\u201d said Kevin Walker, Managing Director at RailAdventure<\/a>. \u201cHaving supported the project through the last 12 months of testing by operating data collection test trains, having our own locomotives ETCS compliant will put in place our final building block for full ETCS readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Digital signalling for a digital railway<\/h2>\n

The HST fleet has already played a key role in paving the way for digital transformation. Three Class 43s were previously fitted with ETCS as part of a \u2018First in Class\u2019 development project. Those units have been instrumental in proving the system on the Welwyn\u2013Hitchin section of the ECML, just north of London, a corridor expected to transition to ETCS operation from 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving Britain\u2019s legendary InterCity 125 power cars a \u2018digital brain\u2019 shows how the past and future of rail can run side-by-side,\u201d said Paul Maynard, Vice President for Integrated Communications Supervision at Hitachi Rail. \u201cBy equipping these Class 43s with ETCS, we\u2019re making them even safer and better connected, extending their working life for charter, freight, and infrastructure duties.\u201d HSTs worked the East Coast Main Line, predominantly in the late seventies to early nineties, on express passenger diagrams, running at up to 125 miles per hour (200km\/h). The record was set in 1987, with a test run at 148.5 mph (238 km\/h).<\/p>\n

\"Time
Time machine. From the 1970s into the 2020s, this Class 43 has been retrofitted with a computerised Driver Machine Interface. Image: \u00a9 Network Rail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Collaborative effort drives progress<\/h2>\n

As the industry embraces the digital future, rolling stock companies are playing a central role in realising the ECDP vision. Porterbrook, which owns and leases much of the UK’s older rolling stock, has overseen the technical aspects of upgrading the Class 43s in this current tranche.<\/p>\n

\u201cPorterbrook is pleased to be playing our part in supporting Network Rail and our industry partners with the delivery of the ECDP,\u201d said Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer. \u201cHaving managed the Class 43 First-in-Class design and fitment as the lead ROSCO, it\u2019s great to see more vehicles being upgraded now in the next phase of this important programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Still
Still on passenger duties. Short-formed HST sets still run in Scotland, branded as “Inter7Cities” services. Heading south, having just crossed the Tay Bridge. Image: \u00a9 ScotRail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HSTs still rolling across the network<\/h2>\n

The HST design is credited with rejuvenating the British railway industry. The fitting of modern equipment to these historic machines is more than a technical upgrade. It\u2019s a symbolic gesture in the year marking the 200th anniversary of the public railway. As the industry celebrates two centuries of progress, equipping older traction with new tech ensures a future for these units. \u201cThis work will enable the Class 43 power cars to continue providing freight movements, infrastructure work and charter services for many years to come,\u201d said an ECDP spokesperson. \u201cECDP continues to progress and build capability as we work to deliver a more reliable, greener and even safer railway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several units were exported to serve in South America and Africa. A derivative design still runs in Australia. Though retired from frontline intercity service, the High Speed Train still maintains a daily presence on Britain\u2019s rails. A short-formation fleet of refurbished HSTs continues to operate. As reported by sister service RailTech.com, \u00a0the Inter7Cities service in Scotland<\/a> offers inter-urban passenger connections across the central belt and the Highlands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is a landmark year for Britain\u2019s railway heritage. Now, 200 years after passenger services started, work is underway to future-proof one of the country\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[392,17387,17388,4473,17389,113,17390,47,48],"tags":[12634],"class_list":["post-249214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-etcs","category-fastest-diesel","category-high-speed-train","category-hst","category-intercity-125","category-network-rail","category-new-measurement-train","category-rail-news","category-technology","tag-railfreight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=249214"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249741,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249214\/revisions\/249741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=249214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=249214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=249214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}