University of California Transportation Center

The purpose of this report is to provide a technical review of the two high-speed rail systems developed by British Rail -- the InterCity 125 and 225 -- over the past 20 years, so that they can be compared with other systems for possible future use in the development of a high-speed passenger rail system in California. While the report will examine both systems, greater attention will be given to the newer IC-225 technology, which was introduced in 1990 and uses electric traction. The older IC-125 technology, dating from the mid-1970s in revenue service, merits study as the only example of a high-speed passenger train using diesel traction. These two technologies are of additional interest to the CalSpeed project because British Rail has built no dedicated lines for high-speed services. Other than the tilt trains introduced recently introduced in Sweden and Italy, the IC-125/225 trains are the only conventional high-speed services relying solely on the upgrading of existing tracks of a long-established rail network.