Operated by Virgin Trains...
Controlled by East Coast...
Burying IEP!
UPDATE: This from, a somewhat twitchy, East Coast...
To be clear, East Coast’s fleet of High Speed Trains (HSTs) are already earmarked for replacement by new trains procured via IEP from 2018.
The Pendolino test runs have no consequence for the IEP programme – they are not relevant to IEP.
UPDATE: This from Mr Tony...
According to Railway Herald an East Coast spokesman also said:
That the company was "now concluding the desktop study to test our findings in practice, in line with the wider strategic aims of the industry going forward.
Doomed?
UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...
Clearly a very carefully worded statement from the Industry's fifth column at York.
Note the reference to IEP replacing HST, while Pendolino is a potential replacement for electric IEP.
So it is strictly true that The Pendolino test runs have no consequence for the IEP programme – they are not relevant to IEP - but only in an East Coast context. Great Western is a different matter
All that was missing from the trial run were bodyside stickers saying 'You can have this proven train for £20,000 per vehicle per month less than IEP'!