#OnThisDay 1976: British Rail launched its new ‘HST’ high-speed train service – the fastest diesel trains in the world. Reporter Lucy Mathen jumped on board for a preview, enjoying a cuppa on the way, and arriving four minutes early into Cardiff.

1976: British Rail introduces high speed trains

Oct 4, 2026 · 7:00 AM UTC

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Featuring Lucy Mathen, @BBC 's first female Asian reporter. Later, she retrained as an ophthalmologist and set up Second Sight, an NGO which treats curable blindness in NE India. @SamiraAhmedUK samiraahmed.blog/once-upon-a… Second Sight secondsight.org.uk/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_M…
Image from BC (@mildthing99)
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In 50 years, we've shaved 5 minutes off this journey time (if you're lucky) but it now costs about 100 times more than it did back then...
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This was a HST yesterday on a special run from Paddington to Swansea and back.
Image from Lee (@gxerlee)
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Now do the comedy that was the APT, less rolling stock and more laughing stock.
Image from Jim QC ✝️🌸 (@Jim_Watford)
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Who remembers the APT , when they were testing it on the main line late 70s early 80s , it would pass by my school in the city of Lancaster at the same time every Friday during our morning break. Dozens of kids would scale the school fence to get a glimpse. 🚆 #APT
Image from Steve D ✝️🗽 (@Steve____D)
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Compare those Mk3 coaches to the 'worse than Ryanair' experience of today's trains like the Azuma.
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Imagine us designing and building something like that or Concorde now.
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Proof we used to be a proper country…
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"Already the high-speed trains have so impressed the Americans, that they're thinking of buying some." And 50 years later, the US only has one train service that can beat this, and it's for only a 40-mile stretch of a 450-mile route.
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Peak Newsround. No talking down to the viewer, despite their age. Brilliant.
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apart from HS1 trains don't go any faster now in the UK
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Antiques are still running in Scotland .. progression is wonderful.
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Same time the expensive Advanced Passenger Train (APT) with its complicated & expensive suspension system to keep the carriages horizontal was being developed & tested by British Rail. Simplicity won the day. APT development & funding stopped & The IC125s ran until 2025.
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And us kids wanted it for our model railways.
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Lucy Mathen was such a mainstay of Newsround. Delighted to read she retrained as an ophthalmologist.
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Dreadful Socialist British Rail, resisting all innovation, and this would all be so much better-managed and ‘customer-focused’ in the hands of the free market, and, er…
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On the same train a British Rail pork pie celebrated its 40th birthday. BR pork pies were not so much a food as a geological formation.
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Nothing changed then. Still the same speed apart from the 68 miles to the channel tunnel. It’s going to take a while to catch up with the 200mph plus ones across East Asia.
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Until the Hatfield incident
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And now the laughing stock of Europe for speed quality and ridiculously expensive. Go Britain woooo.
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A train arriving early… not something that happens often since the breakup and privatisation of BR. Reminds me, I need to make some Delay-Repay claims.
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50 years later they are still in service in Scotland
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I love the InterCity 72
Image from Andrew Rollason (@rollo75)
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I believe Nationwide did a live broadcast which was quite rare from a moving train at that time
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I never understood why they didn't make an electric version for the Euston line?
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We’ve gone backwards
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Not bad for a plan B.
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That was the age of the train.
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Those were the days!
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Won't be long now... 🤔😆🙃
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Didn't tilt thou.
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We’re probably still using them.
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The beginning of the end...
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Japan (Maglev): The L0 Series SCMaglev holds the overall world record at 603 km/h (375 mph) using magnetic levitation.
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@DownOnTheStour
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