On October 4 1976, exactly 40 years ago, a train that revolutionised rail travel in the UK first entered public service. Since then the High Speed Train has gone on to be one of the most iconic and well-known ever to run on our rails, as Evan Green-Hughes relates.
THERE ARE few people alive today, whether enthusiasts or general travellers, who have not heard of the High Speed Train (HST). For four decades these sleek streamliners have criss-crossed the country at speeds of up to 125mph and in the process have amassed millions of miles of passenger service. They have monopolised services to the West of England and for many years did the same for the East Coast Main Line (ECML), a route on which some of them still undertake the most arduous long-distance duties.
