Seven GWR HSTs to go at December timetable change

The first Great Western Railway High Speed Trains to be sent offlease but which are not destined for ScotRail will be withdrawn in the coming weeks.

GWR is due to introduce a ‘rolled over’ timetable this month, which should include more Intercity Express Trains being put into traffic.

This will enable seven HSTs to be removed from service. These will not be destined for SR, and instead will be stored pending developments.

The operator has previously suggested that rather than Porterbrook paying to put HSTs into storage, it would instead be interested in retaining HSTs for a longer period to act as a contingency through the year.

Currently all long-distance GWR HSTs are scheduled to be replaced by mid-March. None of these sets are able to operate beyond December 31 2019, because they are not fitted with accessibility features to meet the required deadline.