On This Day: 4 October 1976

British Rail began its new 125mph High Speed Train (HST) service today. The first London-Bristol service arrived three minutes early.

The Inter-City 125 has been introduced to provide a regular high speed service between Cardiff, Bristol and London.

British Rail will extend the HST service to other major cities over the next two years.

Powered by two diesel motors the Inter-City 125 has recorded a top speed of over 140mph in trial runs, making it the fastest diesel-powered train in the world.

Intercity 125s are still used by First Great Western 35 Years Later

Most other countries have developed electrically powered high-speed trains.

The cost of electrification on Britain’s network was considered prohibitive so the diesel-powered 125 is a new product from existing technology.

In the absence of an official ceremony by British Rail to mark the occasion, few passengers were aware they were making history this morning as the first 0805 left Paddington on time.

New features

But most travellers did appreciate some improvement in comfort. The carriages feature aircraft-like seating, with sliding electric doors at each end.

Hot food is served quickly from an on-board kitchen with the aid of a state-of-the-art microwave oven.

Rail bosses are hopeful the improved service, which has been introduced without a rise in fares, will bring in more business.

Increased fares over the last two years have been linked to a fall in passenger traffic of 15 to 20%.

A Few Interesting Facts about the introduction & history of the Intercity 125

 

When the service was launched a single adult ticket between Bristol and London cost £5.

The month before the launch the train driver’s union Aslef demanded that trains be manned by two drivers when travelling at speeds in excess of 100mph.

British Rail estimated this would cost them £300,000 in over-manning.

The introduction of the Inter-City 125 made significant reductions in journey times across the UK and led to a marked surge in passenger numbers.

Variations of the 125 were sold to Australian railways.

Intercity 125s are still in operation although the faster, electrically powered Inter-City 225 has emerged as its successor.

In March 2006 the government announced the 125 would be phased out of service – although some companies, like First Great Western, say they are investing millions of pounds to keep them going for at least another decade.

Heathrow £500m rail link plan consideration

From: BBC News

UK Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is said to be drawing up plans for a £500m rail scheme linking Wales with Heathrow Airport.

A proposed new spur from the Great Western main line would end the need for passengers to travel in to London before heading out to the airport.

The scheme, to include the west of England, would also connect with the proposed HS2 high speed rail link.

The Department for Transport estimated it could cut 30 minutes off journeys.

The Sunday Times newpaper reported Mr Hammond was considering building a new railway station at Heathrow that would see up to four shuttle services per hour from Reading.

The new airport railway station would also take trains direct from Cardiff and Bristol, it said.

It would also be a hub for the High Speed Two (HS2) rail link, it added.

The Department of Transport has declined to comment but Whitehall sources said the plan would:

• Cut journey times by 30 minutes
• Fit in with the proposals for the high speed rail network – subject to consultation – and if it goes ahead it will be an intergrated transport hub at Heathrow
• Allow rail travellers from Wales to pick up the high-speed line for journeys to the midlands, the north and Scotland.

The UK coalition government had confirmed that a £1bn electrification of the main rail line between London and Cardiff, announced by the previous Labour government in 2009, is to go ahead.

The Welsh Government has called for the full electrification of the line to Swansea.

Tony Miles, who writes for Modern Railways magazine, told Radio Wales the scheme would involve creating about five miles of new railway as well as amending some existing facilities.

He said: “It wouldn’t be a through service from Cardiff and Swansea and so on. I think that would be fairly impractical.

“What I gather from proposals that have been talked about by business leaders is to have a shuttle service of some sort that picks up at Reading and goes straight in to terminal five.

“A lot of people are problaby getting off at Reading and getting the bus at the moment, which is a much more inconvenient way of doing it, pariculary if you have a lot of luggage.”

The proposed new airport link would not be possible until after the electrification of the south Wales mainline, he said.

The Sunday Times reported the Department of Transport as believing the link and airport transport hub could be open by 2021.