Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, under the current technical specifications for interoperability, what height differences between station platforms and top of rail level are allowed for new HS2 stations; what heights are specified by HS2 for new train floor height and station platform heights; and what derogation, if any, they have sought and received to those heights for new HS2 platforms.

The current European Infrastructure Technical Standard for Interoperability (TSI) allows platform heights of 550mm or 760mm above rail level (ARL). In addition, the UK currently has a ‘National Technical Rule’ which includes a ‘Specific Case’ allowing platform heights of 915mm ARL, reflecting the historic platform height on the majority of our existing network.

HS2 is not, as such, proposing to specify a train floor height. What we will be asking rolling stock manufacturers (RSMs) to do is to provide level access to a platform height of 1115mm, or, if they do not believe that is achievable, to tell us at what height platform they could provide level access.

We have proposed to the European Commission an amendment to the current European standards to allow for our preferred platform height and we remain in discussions with them with a view to securing the ability to adopt our preferred platform height through these or alternative means.