HS2 Class 895s (Hitachi Alstom High-Speed)

[Yew]

i

No doubt better for all parties to fully pause, then modify and resissue the tender documents rather than immediately getting into post-bid variation negotiations before awarding a contract, or worse still, after award. A good opportunity to derisk cost, though may lead to some delay, depending on the critical path.

Indeed, the French TGV network runs fine without platform edge doors, and often stations will have two fast lines running through the center, with platforms being off to the side - so this does seem like some complexity that could easily be designed out of the issue.

 

[Wyrleybart]

When I spoke to the HS2 reps at TGG yesterday they said that blinds would be included as it was the easiest option. They explored using electronically dimmed glass (similar to what is found on Boeing 787 planes) but they decided against it as it was becoming too complex when an easier option exists.

Not been on a B787 yet but a much travelled colleague told me the electronic dimming is not a good idea. cabin staff have ultimate control of it and like to block out the light on overnight sectors. But also, window seat occupiers can "monopilise" the window blind control and deny other seats a view out of the window. Obviously, HS2 for the large part will be in cuttings, tunnels and sound barrier screens so views will be limited anyway.

 

[Tobberz]

When I spoke to the HS2 reps at TGG yesterday they said that blinds would be included as it was the easiest option. They explored using electronically dimmed glass (similar to what is found on Boeing 787 planes) but they decided against it as it was becoming too complex when an easier option exists.

Standard three-pin plug sockets are provided at each table and airline seat too. They made a big point that the sockets will be at stacked opposite angles to each other to allow large brick MacBook type plugs to be used without blocking the other socket. See image below I took of this arrangement on the mockup seat:

With regards to the window/blind/etc issue, I've never understood why European high-speed sets don't use airline-style windows like Japan does. It would entirely remove the issue of disagreements as to whether a blind should be pulled down, and also ensures that each seat always gets a window (if aligned properly).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not been on a B787 yet but a much travelled colleague told me the electronic dimming is not a good idea. cabin staff have ultimate control of it and like to block out the light on overnight sectors. But also, window seat occupiers can "monopilise" the window blind control and deny other seats a view out of the window. Obviously, HS2 for the large part will be in cuttings, tunnels and sound barrier screens so views will be limited anyway.

The big upside is that you can still see out when dimmed.

 

[vuzzeho]

Okay, I know it's late, but here's the tea on the Class 895. From memory.

General details
The train's being built by Hitachi and Alstom, as you know. The external design, the mechanics, all of that is Hitachi, based off the Zefiro. The internal systems and bits and things is all Alstom. That said, they are working together nicely. The renders we have (eg on Wikipedia) are old - the design's been updated slightly and we've got new renders, as seen in the attached images. As mentioned, it'll be an 8 car train. Currently HAH-S is working with the West Coast Partnership (Avanti) on things like branding (I'm talking about branding the train, not things like the livery) - but with GBR coming in, we'll have to wait and see.

Externally
Hitachi's been doing this, so we didn't really learn much about it from TGG. Despite being built on the Zefiro platform, they don't really look like the others. They're just about on the final door design and PTI user research has been going on for a while. The doors will have an extendable step for level(ish) boarding (well, maybe more 'not a huge step boarding'), and they've tested the different platform heights. The doors will have a display under the window, within that whole big window cutout area. Also, the gangways are currently supposed to be fully covered, for aerodynamics. If that's important to you. Finally, the trains will be delivered in off-white with grey doors, then livery applied (that is the current plan).

Internally
Big things! It's looking very good to me, and they seem to have worked hard. Generally - seat layout isn't anything crazy, the mockup was quite spacious (I was in a HST before going to the mockup and didn't feel cramped in comparison), and the light temperature has been thought about. Just a note: the mockup is grey and drab. That's because they're focusing on getting feedback on the form of the interior, not the aesthetics. It will not look grey and drab in service.
Seats: The seats on display were not the seats that will be on the train, more just representative of the layout using 'typical seats you might find on a high speed train'. They looked like the seats from a GA FLIRT to me. The actual seat design was not finished, but looked good, and looked like they had given it a lot of thought, thinking about basically whatever they could. Comfort was also seemingly stressed as very important in a conversation I had with someone from the team. Also, things like tables are a good size, with very in depth thought about every aspect of them (for example, the cupholder depth was fine tuned). There were reservation displays that looked like e-ink, which is very smart and should've been done earlier. They didn't seem to be the same as the IET traffic light style reservations. They also gave consideration to disabled passengers - the disabled area was actually moved so they could get a good window view, and there's no overhead luggage storage above the disabled spaces so any assistance doesn't bump their head helping the person. Overall, there was good headroom, good legroom (I'm only 5'8 though...) and generally, seemed like it would be a nice ride. With that, I'm hopeful, but didn't sit on the final product so I don't really know.
Lighting and ambiance: It'll have adjustable RGB lighting, so things like brightness, colour, and colour temperature can be changed in sections. Generally this is expected to stay the same for whole carriages though. To me, the light temperature was great, and the saloon felt bright and airy - but not clinical.
Bathrooms and vestibules: There are a lot of PIS screens on the train. There are displays in the normal places, but also next to the doors, and even a small screen embedded in the bathroom mirror. The bathroom wasn't interesting other than that. The vestibules seemed spacious and well sized, and there's a slight (and I mean very slight) ramp down upon exiting. I did film a video.
Bike storage: The bike storage seemed well thought out, with feedback from cyclists brought in. They had reservation screens for the bikes too - nice. Don't really know what else to say.
Crew areas and cafe: There is an onboard shop, which was buffet style, and didn't seem too different. It wasn't cramped, but it wasn't exactly super roomy walking past the counter. The First Class/Standard Premium/whatever food prep area isn't really consumer-facing, so I don't think people will care much. Your expected equipment, really. Nice considerations made for staff, like a staff storage cupboard, but I don't know if this is unique or just the done thing.
Misc: There was a lot of PIS, but the UI seemed very 'mockup' and not done, and this is true - that'll come later, as expected. Still, it'll have things like key areas on the train pointed out (like toilets and the shop, etc), the destination, next stop, weather, time, and current speed. The overhead displays were quite narrow to me (didn't go the full width of the carriage!) but I know how much ergonomics and sighting research and data goes into the design and placement of this, so I'm not going to question it, really. From layout diagrams, it seems like the toilet provision is quite good. There's also dedicated buggy storage, which is lovely, and they seemed quite proud of this. Luggage storage was fine, just regular racks, but I feel like they could've had more, or a newer system (like the NFC bag storage seen on the new NightJets and 222 refurb). First class is currently intended to get a trolley service, and standard has the cafe car. Also, it's not a walkthrough train.

All in all, it's important to remember how early into the process we are. I thought it looked great when I went to visit, and I was ready to be... not thrilled. Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised. Things like the cab and operational bits weren't shown here, but I'm sure they're working on it. Lots of things are still being developed - to be honest this was user testing masquerading as 'come check out the 895s!' and I don't blame them for it. Genuinely though, I really really admire the team - you can tell they're all passionate about it and working hard to create something great. They know their stuff and it shows, and they're open to feedback to make things better, but also have conviction and good reasons for when they've done something right. They're working against a lot - funding, suppliers and what they're willing/able to do, what Hitachi want, what Alstom want(!), and what have you. Despite this, they already have something that I think could be a winner. With the backdrop of HS2 and how poorly it's been going as a project, alongside other high speed systems globally (the TGV-M interior is just stunning), and the massive uncertainty with GBR coming in (designing with a client - WCP - that will no longer exist when it's finished!), they've done a brilliant job and I don't see any signs of them slowing down. We are so early into this process, and a lot will change before the last iteration and final design is rolled out. Everything I've said has been what I observed at this point, and I look forward to riding the finished thing one day. Good luck to HAH-S and full speed ahead.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7534447059655527702

 

[michael8]

The class of number for a train is irrelevant, it isn't going to attract or deter people from travelling just because of a class number.

I like the number 895 - sounds solid and fast.

 

[Pete_uk]

Thank you vuzzeho!

 

[Snow1964]

I asked at the event, and the staff happily confirmed this would be the case, tried to put a positive spin on it that it wouldn't be necessary because of speed and how good standard class would be.


Just to clarify in case it was unclear - there will be two classes, Standard and Standard Premium, both 2+2, but with premium being lower density.

Whilst that might be true, the consequences are not very well thought through.

Lets suppose do a journey from say Chippenham to Crewe changing at Old Oak Common, what happens, one part doesn't have First class, one part doesn't have standard premium, so if you don't want standard how do you buy a ticket (no one offers best class, just specific classes) ?

It would probably route you via Bristol and XC instead, which rather undermines attracting people to use new line.

Then what happens if the connecting part of your journey has different quality of standard class, until they get to the new train (if they actually choose to travel based on quality of their local train) not going to understand how good standard class is if it only applies for part journey. I suspect very few people will travel Curzon Street to/from Old Oak Common without any connections at one or both ends.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Whilst that might be true, the consequences are not very well thought through.

Lets suppose do a journey from say Chippenham to Crewe changing at Old Oak Common, what happens, one part doesn't have First class, one part doesn't have standard premium, so if you don't want standard how do you buy a ticket (no one offers best class, just specific classes) ?

It would probably route you via Bristol and XC instead, which rather undermines attracting people to use new line.

Then what happens if the connecting part of your journey has different quality of standard class, until they get to the new train (if they actually choose to travel based on quality of their local train) not going to understand how good standard class is if it only applies for part journey. I suspect very few people will travel Curzon Street to/from Old Oak Common without any connections at one or both ends.

Presumably decades from now, if GBR is considered a success and has a long term role, then standards will apply across English railways. You would like to think XC and GWR will be just a memory and the voyagers will have been shipped to Port Talbot in shredded form. I have never believed in large provision of First / Premium class and still remember the day the first pendolinos were delivered to the UK will practically half the train First class. What were Virgin thinking?

 

[michael8]

Chippenham to Crewe - I think to answer your question, it's possible now to do a two-part journey with one ticket, where one part of the journey doesn't offer first class but the other part does. Same thing, surely ? It's not that unusual.

 

[rmHawk765]

This might be better discussed in a new thread in the speculative section, but surely fixed-length 300m units would be a much better solution than the current plans for 200m units to be used with some services running as double sets?

Have they not learned from the 5 car 80x fiasco?

 

[MrJeeves]

The doors will have an extendable step for level(ish) boarding

They'll have two extendable steps, one for the HS2 stations and a separate one for the "classic" network. They had tried multiple types of step, including ones that raised and lowered, and one single step in some kind of middle-ground, but two steps ended up being what was settled on.

Also, things like tables are a good size, with very in depth thought about every aspect of them (for example, the cupholder depth was fine tuned).

The final cupholders will be merely indents in the table rather than the deep holders present in the mock-up, following feedback from cleaning staff. I wouldn't say the airline tables are big enough for laptop users, but if they pull outward, that will help somewhat.

There were reservation displays that looked like e-ink, which is very smart and should've been done earlier.

They will not be e-ink for cost reasons.

Bike storage: The bike storage seemed well thought out, with feedback from cyclists brought in. They had reservation screens for the bikes too - nice. Don't really know what else to say.

What was mentioned to me specifically is that they are also designed to store tandem bikes, as one of the people working on the project is an avid tandem cyclist!

 

[vuzzeho]

They'll have two extendable steps, one for the HS2 stations and a separate one for the "classic" network. They had tried multiple types of step, including ones that raised and lowered, and one single step in some kind of middle-ground, but two steps ended up being what was settled on.

Ah okay, thank you!

The final cupholders will be merely indents in the table rather than the deep holders present in the mock-up, following feedback from cleaning staff. I wouldn't say the airline tables are big enough for laptop users, but if they pull outward, that will help somewhat.

Yes, I should've been more specific!

They will not be e-ink for cost reasons.

That's quite surprising! I actually didn't ask about that, so that's news to me. Is e-ink really still that expensive? Or it might be a supplier thing again.

What was mentioned to me specifically is that they are also designed to store tandem bikes, as one of the people working on the project is an avid tandem cyclist!

I had no clue! I don't really cycle, so I don't know too much about bikes. They mentioned being designed to also work with folding bikes (I think?) so they've been hard at work.

 

[Wyrleybart]

What was mentioned to me specifically is that they are also designed to store tandem bikes, as one of the people working on the project is an avid tandem cyclist!

Seriously ?
I am 63 years old and can only remember a handful of times in my life that I have ever seen a tandem, let alone one standing at a railway station contemplating a cycle ticket for a train journey.

 

[800001]

Seriously ?
I am 63 years old and can only remember a handful of times in my life that I have ever seen a tandem, let alone one standing at a railway station contemplating a cycle ticket for a train journey.

Think I've seen 2 tandems in my life. And I drive many of the popular cycle routes frequently.

 

[MrJeeves]

Seriously ?
I am 63 years old and can only remember a handful of times in my life that I have ever seen a tandem, let alone one standing at a railway station contemplating a cycle ticket for a train journey.

Maybe you don't see them at stations as they won't fit on most trains?

Having a space be set up so that it's possible to bring a tandem and secure it isn't hurting anyone. Why be so negative?

 

[Wyrleybart]

Think I've seen 2 tandems in my life. And I drive many of the popular cycle routes frequently.

I am sorry but for me this kind of stuff just reinforces the thought that HS2 is a diamond-encrusted and gold-plated monster which is totally out of control. I will be honest and admit the HS2 concept took a while for me to get my head around, but once the eastern leg of phase 2B was announced I started to visualise huge huge benefits.

Then the Yorkshire link got chopped back and the eastern leg became a link from Kingsbury to East Midlands Parkway - hardly enough mileage to accelerate to line speed !! Then the whole of phase 2A and 2B were cancelled by Rishi Sunak, and HS2 goes straight into the WCML on the congested Trent Valley. It has gone from being a very credible national infrastructure project to an astronomically expensive disaster.

 

[Sorcerer]

Okay, I know it's late, but here's the tea on the Class 895. From memory.

General details
The train's being built by Hitachi and Alstom, as you know. The external design, the mechanics, all of that is Hitachi, based off the Zefiro. The internal systems and bits and things is all Alstom. That said, they are working together nicely. The renders we have (eg on Wikipedia) are old - the design's been updated slightly and we've got new renders, as seen in the attached images. As mentioned, it'll be an 8 car train. Currently HAH-S is working with the West Coast Partnership (Avanti) on things like branding (I'm talking about branding the train, not things like the livery) - but with GBR coming in, we'll have to wait and see.

Externally
Hitachi's been doing this, so we didn't really learn much about it from TGG. Despite being built on the Zefiro platform, they don't really look like the others. They're just about on the final door design and PTI user research has been going on for a while. The doors will have an extendable step for level(ish) boarding (well, maybe more 'not a huge step boarding'), and they've tested the different platform heights. The doors will have a display under the window, within that whole big window cutout area. Also, the gangways are currently supposed to be fully covered, for aerodynamics. If that's important to you. Finally, the trains will be delivered in off-white with grey doors, then livery applied (that is the current plan).

Internally
Big things! It's looking very good to me, and they seem to have worked hard. Generally - seat layout isn't anything crazy, the mockup was quite spacious (I was in a HST before going to the mockup and didn't feel cramped in comparison), and the light temperature has been thought about. Just a note: the mockup is grey and drab. That's because they're focusing on getting feedback on the form of the interior, not the aesthetics. It will not look grey and drab in service.
Seats: The seats on display were not the seats that will be on the train, more just representative of the layout using 'typical seats you might find on a high speed train'. They looked like the seats from a GA FLIRT to me. The actual seat design was not finished, but looked good, and looked like they had given it a lot of thought, thinking about basically whatever they could. Comfort was also seemingly stressed as very important in a conversation I had with someone from the team. Also, things like tables are a good size, with very in depth thought about every aspect of them (for example, the cupholder depth was fine tuned). There were reservation displays that looked like e-ink, which is very smart and should've been done earlier. They didn't seem to be the same as the IET traffic light style reservations. They also gave consideration to disabled passengers - the disabled area was actually moved so they could get a good window view, and there's no overhead luggage storage above the disabled spaces so any assistance doesn't bump their head helping the person. Overall, there was good headroom, good legroom (I'm only 5'8 though...) and generally, seemed like it would be a nice ride. With that, I'm hopeful, but didn't sit on the final product so I don't really know.
Lighting and ambiance: It'll have adjustable RGB lighting, so things like brightness, colour, and colour temperature can be changed in sections. Generally this is expected to stay the same for whole carriages though. To me, the light temperature was great, and the saloon felt bright and airy - but not clinical.
Bathrooms and vestibules: There are a lot of PIS screens on the train. There are displays in the normal places, but also next to the doors, and even a small screen embedded in the bathroom mirror. The bathroom wasn't interesting other than that. The vestibules seemed spacious and well sized, and there's a slight (and I mean very slight) ramp down upon exiting. I did film a video.
Bike storage: The bike storage seemed well thought out, with feedback from cyclists brought in. They had reservation screens for the bikes too - nice. Don't really know what else to say.
Crew areas and cafe: There is an onboard shop, which was buffet style, and didn't seem too different. It wasn't cramped, but it wasn't exactly super roomy walking past the counter. The First Class/Standard Premium/whatever food prep area isn't really consumer-facing, so I don't think people will care much. Your expected equipment, really. Nice considerations made for staff, like a staff storage cupboard, but I don't know if this is unique or just the done thing.
Misc: There was a lot of PIS, but the UI seemed very 'mockup' and not done, and this is true - that'll come later, as expected. Still, it'll have things like key areas on the train pointed out (like toilets and the shop, etc), the destination, next stop, weather, time, and current speed. The overhead displays were quite narrow to me (didn't go the full width of the carriage!) but I know how much ergonomics and sighting research and data goes into the design and placement of this, so I'm not going to question it, really. From layout diagrams, it seems like the toilet provision is quite good. There's also dedicated buggy storage, which is lovely, and they seemed quite proud of this. Luggage storage was fine, just regular racks, but I feel like they could've had more, or a newer system (like the NFC bag storage seen on the new NightJets and 222 refurb). First class is currently intended to get a trolley service, and standard has the cafe car. Also, it's not a walkthrough train.

All in all, it's important to remember how early into the process we are. I thought it looked great when I went to visit, and I was ready to be... not thrilled. Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised. Things like the cab and operational bits weren't shown here, but I'm sure they're working on it. Lots of things are still being developed - to be honest this was user testing masquerading as 'come check out the 895s!' and I don't blame them for it. Genuinely though, I really really admire the team - you can tell they're all passionate about it and working hard to create something great. They know their stuff and it shows, and they're open to feedback to make things better, but also have conviction and good reasons for when they've done something right. They're working against a lot - funding, suppliers and what they're willing/able to do, what Hitachi want, what Alstom want(!), and what have you. Despite this, they already have something that I think could be a winner. With the backdrop of HS2 and how poorly it's been going as a project, alongside other high speed systems globally (the TGV-M interior is just stunning), and the massive uncertainty with GBR coming in (designing with a client - WCP - that will no longer exist when it's finished!), they've done a brilliant job and I don't see any signs of them slowing down. We are so early into this process, and a lot will change before the last iteration and final design is rolled out. Everything I've said has been what I observed at this point, and I look forward to riding the finished thing one day. Good luck to HAH-S and full speed ahead.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7534447059655527702

Thank you greatly for this post, especially for the images. The rolling stock looks better than it's original render and definitely fits in with the rest of the Zefiro family. It looks just like a scaled-down Frecciarossa, and if it's anything like the last Italian train scaled down to British loading gauge (and interestingly enough the same rolling it'll probably be replacing) then we're in for a treat. Providing of course they don't muck it up with the seating, branding and livery.

 

[vuzzeho]

I am sorry but for me this kind of stuff just reinforces the thought that HS2 is a diamond-encrusted and gold-plated monster which is totally out of control.

Being real, making it suitable for tandems probably just meant angling the wheel holder things slightly differently so they could fit a slightly longer bike. Clearly cost has very much been considered in every aspect of the design. Besides, at this point in the process, making changes like this doesn't come at extra cost, so they can do it.

Thank you greatly for this post, especially for the images. The rolling stock looks better than it's original render and definitely fits in with the rest of the Zefiro family. It looks just like a scaled-down Frecciarossa, and if it's anything like the last Italian train scaled down to British loading gauge (and interestingly enough the same rolling it'll probably be replacing) then we're in for a treat. Providing of course they don't muck it up with the seating, branding and livery.

My pleasure! I'm hoping it'll be great - though the branding and livery is all up to GBR...

 

[meld3]

Think I've seen 2 tandems in my life. And I drive many of the popular cycle routes frequently.

My grandparents had a Tandem in the 1930's, and their holidays were using it to get from Manchester to Kent/Cornwall/Ireland etc.
The key being that it was designed to be cycled, not carried on a train !!

 

[FrontSideBus]

I am sorry but for me this kind of stuff just reinforces the thought that HS2 is a diamond-encrusted and gold-plated monster which is totally out of control. I will be honest and admit the HS2 concept took a while for me to get my head around, but once the eastern leg of phase 2B was announced I started to visualise huge huge benefits.

Then the Yorkshire link got chopped back and the eastern leg became a link from Kingsbury to East Midlands Parkway - hardly enough mileage to accelerate to line speed !! Then the whole of phase 2A and 2B were cancelled by Rishi Sunak, and HS2 goes straight into the WCML on the congested Trent Valley. It has gone from being a very credible national infrastructure project to an astronomically expensive disaster.

is HS2 even going into London Euston at this stage? The current short run up to Birmingham is utterly pointless IMO.

 

[Wyrleybart]

is HS2 even going into London Euston at this stage? The current short run up to Birmingham is utterly pointless IMO.

I believe the TBMs are "allocated" for the drive from OOC to Euston and may even have started. but the funding to complete the project is scaled back, but I think not quite paused, So AIUI the tunnels will be dug and lined, in anticipation of funding to fit out the services, track etc then commission it. Guessing that there will be HS2 track into the HS2 part of Euston within the next 20 years That means the pendolinos will be 40 years old, so may be withdrawn and replaced by 895s o nthe WCML if there are any more HS2 delays.

 

[class26]

is HS2 even going into London Euston at this stage? The current short run up to Birmingham is utterly pointless IMO.

 

[Sorcerer]

is HS2 even going into London Euston at this stage? The current short run up to Birmingham is utterly pointless IMO.

By the looks of it the line will reach Euston, and in fact it's within the project's interest to do so because otherwise it couldn't provide the capacity relief, nor quicker journeys, and thus the entire purpose of HS2 becomes moot.

 

[E B]

I have never believed in large provision of First / Premium class and still remember the day the first pendolinos were delivered to the UK will practically half the train First class. What were Virgin thinking?

Let’s not even start on the 222’s.

 

[Energy]

I have never believed in large provision of First / Premium class and still remember the day the first pendolinos were delivered to the UK will practically half the train First class. What were Virgin thinking?

I'd imagine it came from their airline background. Business income is worth a lot to long-haul airlines, so they provide a lot of space for it.

 

[BogiePicker]

Do we know what the vehicle width and bogie centres are? It doesn't seem to be much bigger than an 80X, even though, despite being 'classic compatible', it still runs over a far more limited network than the IET and should have a lot fewer fouls/exception structures/fouling sixfoots. I.e. it should have a bigger effective structure gauge

 

[Wyrleybart]

Do we know what the vehicle width and bogie centres are? It doesn't seem to be much bigger than an 80X, even though, despite being 'classic compatible', it still runs over a far more limited network than the IET and should have a lot fewer fouls/exception structures/fouling sixfoots. I.e. it should have a bigger effective structure gauge

AIUI the 895s will need to run anywhere on the WCML that an AC EMU would - ie Handsacre Jn to Glasgow Central, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester, and maybe Chester too if it is ever electrified. I am guessing they would be cleared for Wilmslow - Piccadilly via the Styal, and presumably via Ordsall to Bolton etc, maybe also to Blackpool ?

 

[BogiePicker]

AIUI the 895s will need to run anywhere on the WCML that an AC EMU would - ie Handsacre Jn to Glasgow Central, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester, and maybe Chester too if it is ever electrified. I am guessing they would be cleared for Wilmslow - Piccadilly via the Styal, and presumably via Ordsall to Bolton etc, maybe also to Blackpool ?

True, but that means it skips a lot of fouling locations along the southern portion of the WCML, and, more generally, it won't have any of the other fouls associated with all other 'intercity' routes.

 

[michael8]

Thank you greatly for this post, especially for the images. The rolling stock looks better than it's original render and definitely fits in with the rest of the Zefiro family. It looks just like a scaled-down Frecciarossa, and if it's anything like the last Italian train scaled down to British loading gauge (and interestingly enough the same rolling it'll probably be replacing) then we're in for a treat. Providing of course they don't muck it up with the seating, branding and livery.

sorry what is the last italian train scaled down to british loading gage ?