New train “HS2” set to speed across Britain at 225mph
This is the first glimpse of the 225 miles per hour (mph) train that will speed between London and the Midlands if the government wins its fight to build the controversial high-speed two-rail link.
The trains, which will form the first British passenger service to exceed 200mph, have been designed to keep external noise to a minimum.
The current top operating speed on UK tracks is 175mph, which is reached on the HS1 route between London and Kent. The ultra-aerodynamic nose cone will help the as-yet-unnamed train to operate commercially at 225mph, although in test conditions it could match Japan's 275mph bullet trains.
The fastest passenger train in the world is the CRH380A, which runs between Beijing and Shanghai and has reached 302mph.
The design emerged before the divisive Commons vote on HS2 on Wednesday, when up to 40 Conservative MPs are expected to rebel against the £33 billion project.
They argue that the rail link – which will slice through Tory heartlands – will bring no economic benefit while destroying the countryside.
The Government argues HS2 will help to bridge the North-South divide by cutting journey times and fuelling economic growth in the Midlands and North.
It hopes the first stage of the project, between London and Birmingham, would start in 2017 and finish in 2026. The second stage, to Manchester and Leeds, would be completed by 2033.