Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 December 2021 (HL4859), what is the expected time saving for (1) boarding, and (2) disembarking, at an HS2 station for similar door widths and passenger numbers between (a) an HS2 train, and (b) a standard UK train, using a station with a platform height of 1115mm above rail.

An existing, standard British train would not be compatible with HS2 platforms due to the larger offset and height. Future procurements of ‘standard’ trains would need to adopt the same deployable step arrangement as HS2’s rolling stock to be compatible with both platform positions. If comparing (a) an HS2 train at an 1115mm HS2 platform and (b) a standard train at a 915mm conventional platform, HS2 Ltd predicts that boarding and disembarking for the HS2 train at the 1115mm platform would be up to 30% quicker than the standard train at the 915mm platform given comparable intercity rolling stock and door arrangements. This is because existing intercity trains require two steps upwards from platform to step, and step to vestibule. HS2 trains and platforms will have near-level boarding with only a shallow ramp from platform to vestibule.