Indulge me for a minute in this fantasy but, given HS2's intention to procure new "classic compatible" trains, might this not be a good time to resurrect the APT and design a new generation of British tilting trains that could run on HS2 and continue their journeys to Liverpool, Glasgow etc on the old west coast main line?
Assuming the financial arrangements could be put in place and the political will found, do we still have the engineering talent required to pursue such a project? And what would a new APT look like? Would it be possible to surpass what has already been achieved by railway engineers and train designers in France, Germany and Japan?
Reviews of the new Hitatchi Super Express trains being procured by the DfT for use on the Great Western and East Coast main lines suggest they are sub-optimal, compromised and eye-wateringly expensive.
Surely a new generation of APTs is the way forward!
