InterCity 225
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 at Peterborough main railway station. |
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| Power type | electric |
|---|---|
| Builder | BREL, GEC Alsthom |
| Build date | 1988—1991 [1] |
| Total production | 31 nine-carriage units [2] |
| Length | ? m |
| Locomotive weight | 302 t |
| Top speed | 140 mph (225 km/h) (Design) 125mph (200 km/h) (Service) |
| Power output | 6,000 HP |
| Career | British Rail, GNER, National Express East Coast |
| Disposition | still in service |
The InterCity 225 is the fastest locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, and nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer. The Class 91 locomotives were built by BREL at Crewe works as a spin-off from the Advanced Passenger Train project, which was abandoned during the 1980s, whilst the coaching stock was built by GEC-Alsthom in Birmingham — again borrowing heavily from the Advanced Passenger Train.
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[edit] 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 InterCity 225s were sold to HSBC Rail, which currently leases them to National Express East Coast.
The InterCity 225 has a theoretical top service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham an Intercity 225 reached 162.6 mph (261.7 km/h). However, except on High Speed 1, which is equipped with cab signalling, British signalling does not normally allow trains to exceed 125mph (201) km/h, due to the impracticality of observing lineside signals at high speed. The Advanced Passenger Train of the early 1980s used a new hydrokinetic braking system to allow it to brake from 155 mph (250 km/h) within existing signalling distances. It is believed that the InterCity 225 project was originally to be called APT-U, but this name was dropped after older APT-P trains were not considered a success and that APT branding would tarnish the reputation of the new High Speed Train.
Between late 2003 and April 2006 GNER and Bombardier Transportation undertook a complete rebuilding and refurbishment programme for the Mark 4 coaches, called Project Mallard. See British Rail Mark 4 for more details.
[edit] See also
- GNER
- National Express East Coast
- East Coast Main Line
- Class 91 electric locomotive
- Mark 4 coaches
- Driving Van Trailer
- InterCity (British Rail)
- Intercity 125
- APT-E
[edit] References
- ^ thejunction.org.uk, rolling stock: class 91, Retrieved on 04-07-2007
- ^ Oliver Keating, The Inter-city 225, Retrieved on 04-07-2007
