Great Western High Speed Train (HST, InterCity 125) Remembered

The GWR High Speed Train, also known as the InterCity 125 or HST

The high speed train, also known as the InterCity 125 or HST has a long association with the Great Western route dating back to the mid 1970s. The original blue and grey livery they carried was later replaced by revised InterCity livery.

The entire HST fleet carried these colours until the end of the British Railways era in the late 1990s and the introduction of the privatised railway and associated passenger franchises.

The Great Western InterCity franchise was awarded to Great Western Holdings in December 1995, and it began operations on 4 February 1996. In March 1998 FirstGroup took 100% ownership of the franchise. In December 1998 the company was rebranded as First Great Western. Soon the HST began to appear in a variety of new colourful liveries.

In April 2015 Great Western services into London were diverted via the Chiltern Line due to planned engineering work. This brought the rare sight of HSTs working over the line.

On the 20 September 2015 the whole company was rebranded as the Great Western Railway. A new green livery started to be applied to the HSTs along with GWR branding.

By 2018 the GWR HST fleet was gradually being withdrawn.

The electrification of the line was near completion and the new Class 800 IETs were steadily being introduced into service.

Some of the power cars had retro colour schemes applied as their withdrawal from service grew closer.

The final HST departures from London Paddington took place on the 18th May 2019.

Although you can no longer ride an HST out of London Paddington the GWR still have a number of short formation 2+4 ‘Castle Class’ HST sets working services in the West of England, they are however expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2023.