Mind the gap: HS2 trains too high for existing station platforms and 'will cost taxpayer £200m to fix'

24 August 2024, 09:17 | Updated: 24 August 2024, 13:01

HS2 trains are too high for existing station platforms and will cost taxpayers £200m to rectify the problems, it has been reported.

The current design means the 225mph train's doors are too high for ordinary station platforms, making it unsafe for passengers boarding and disembarking the carriages.

Industry experts told The i Newspaper that Network Rail would likely not allow the trains to run under the current design.

This is just the latest mishap for the rail project after former prime minister Rishi Sunak scrapped the scheme north of Birmingham amid massive overspending.

Mr Sunak's decision also means the trains will have greater exposure to the existing rail network rather than dedicated HS2 tracks and platforms.

Read More: Manhunt for killer who left three dead and five injured in knife attack at German festival

Read More: Mum, 19, stabbed to death outside Crawley train station named and pictured as family pays tribute to 'much-loved daughter'

HS2 Limited, the company created to deliver the project, told the paper that the trains will now be built with a two-step solution to the gap problem.

The same trains are already having to be redesigned to have additional doors fitted to each carriage to speed up the time it takes for travellers to alight.

This has reportedly cost some £188m to fix the problems affecting 11 stations.

The stations with platform safety concerns include Oxenholme, Penrith, Motherwell, Runcorn, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan, Lancaster, Macclesfield, Stockport, and Glasgow Central.

The issue with the height of the trains is due to two types of high-speed rail being used: captive and compatible trains.

Captive trains were due to be built under European dimensions and be much larger than the others. This would mean they need a bigger platform.

This had been planned and they were designed to have step-free functionality, meaning the foot of the door aligns with the platform.

Other classic trains were to be used on the HS2 network and the original network. While they are not a big as captive trains, they were still designed to serve HS2 and conventional platforms.

The classic trains included a step to allow passengers to alight but a redesign is now needed to suit both styles of platforms.

It is understood HS2 Ltd has already submitted its redesign request but no pricing has been attached to the proposal.

But the paper warned that early estimations meant almost another £200m was needed on top of HS2 Ltd's contract with manufacturers Hitachi and Alstom.

The carriages are due to be completed in 2027 ahead of the planned opening between 2029 and 2033.

A spokesman for HS2 Ltd told The i Newspaper: “HS2’s new trains and stations are designed to work seamlessly together, providing the best possible street-to-seat service that will enable everyone, including those with limited mobility, to more easily use the high-speed railway.

“However, maintaining our trains’ improved accessibility standards along the West Coast Mainline is complicated by platform heights varying at different stations. Therefore, we’ve engineered a separate step to minimise the gap between train and platform.”