This iconic design transformed Britain's inter-city rail operations in the late 1970s and during the 1980s, and it still forms the backbone of the long-haul high-speed fleet.
The government appointed Hitachi (in what it laughingly claimed was a "British-led consortium". Yeah... led by Japanese company Hitachi) to design a new generation of trains to replace the venerable HSTs -- and they came up with the "Super Express Train" (which sounds pretty gay to me, but what do I know?). Otherwise known as SET.
The initial specification for this train was so utterly absurd that it would have defied the laws of physics. Sanity of a sort (or, perhaps, an interlude in the insanity) led to the government announcing it was going to electrify the Great Western mainline, which would otherwise have been the main stomping ground for diesel-powered SETs.
Quite why we need a distributed power-train (an EMU) to operate this when a locomotive-hauled carriage set would have been cheaper, more flexible, and simpler is anyone's guess.
Anyway, the government today announced the whole project was suspended pending an election -- apparently the financing has collapsed following the Great Depression, and the government thinks the new government should enter into the contract.
Yeah... this project gives off the feeling that it's entering a death spiral.
6 comments:
Back on theme - hurrah! I'll try to avert my gaze from the young lovely above as it's Lent, but I doubt I'll succeed!
When's the 125 going to be phased out?
They're the most beautiful trains that have ever graced any railway, ever. I'm not a pussy, but I'd cry if they ever went away for good.
Plans to phase out the 125 are not yet solid. But they first entered service more than thirty years ago, which is a long time to remain in front-line express service so, much as I love them, their time is coming to an end.
Most of the fleet has just been re-engined (in fact, maybe all the fleet by now), which should give them another ten years or so.
But the fact is their frames won't go on forever, and there's a sporting chance that a 21st century design will be more economical and more efficient. Though that depends on DaFT getting the specification right, so don't hold your breath.
IEP/SET was supposed to start coming on stream in 2012 with fleet operation on the ECML from 2014 (and therefore 125s would be removed from that route by then). Yeah, right.
Thanks for the insight. If it's going to be replaced, I hope it's not with something as fuck-ugly as the SET.
Also, what the hell are they thinking with that interior. :(
Who on earth designed those seats? Ugly as hell, patently thoroughly uncomfortable, and quite obviously wouldn't withstand a Mothers' Union outing let alone a football crowd
I knew all this talk of serious investment in the railways was too good to be true. Still I suppose it means the HSTs will be around for a while longer, which is no bad thing.
I hope the finished design of the SETS is rather less cheap and nasty looking.
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