Gibb plans HS2 alternative with 155mph Pendolinos

Former Virgin West Coast manager Chris Gibb is putting forward a radical alternative to the cancelled HS2 route between Birmingham and Manchester, writes Peter Plisner.

Gibb envisages maximum use of existing assets, including a major refurbishment of the Class 390 Pendolino fleet with a 155mph upgrade.

Gibb was chief operating officer at Virgin West Coast. He has pulled his plan together with the help of his many contacts at all levels of the industry.

Called ‘Getting the Job Done - A new approach’, the document suggests that it is “unrealistic” to freeze HS2 as a London to Birmingham railway.