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HS2 network 'could carry double-decker trains'
Mon 09 Jan 2012
Passengers who use the proposed HS2 network in England could travel on double-decker trains if the project comes to fruition.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, transport secretary Justine Greening said the government is considering allowing "continental-style" trains to be used on the high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham.
She stated that the carriages would allow passengers to benefit from "more seats and more space".
The comments come amid growing expectations that the HS2 project is set to receive final official approval imminently.
Prime minister David Cameron told the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend that major transport infrastructure developments can make a big difference to "regional patterns of growth" in the UK.
He said the HS2 project should help to link up Britain's biggest cities and therefore enable growth to be spread across the country, rather than concentrated in south-east England.
Plans are already in place to develop the network beyond Birmingham, with links to Leeds and Manchester.
Richard Bull, a solicitor at Winckworth Sherwood, commented: "Those with long memories will recall that there were very few double-decker trains in service in the years 1950 until the early seventies.
"They were not a huge success. The main obstacle to rolling out continental-style trains on the existing network is the relatively small loading gauge, i.e. the space available through stations, tunnels and bridges.
"HS2 is most likely to be built to European loading gauge standards and this makes the prospect of double-decker trains feasible. It is unlikely that Justine Greening will commit to double-decker trains when she makes her statement on HS2, but unless the press is very badly informed, it now seems that the project will be given the green light. Watch this space for the latest news."
