HS2 Branding & Identity

[Tobberz]

Especially now the railways are being "fully" nationalised, I was wondering how people thought HS2 would be marketed/branded, in terms of wayfinding, livery etc.

Clearly the initial intention was to have something like "Avanti Highspeed" when HS2 was to come under the West Coast Partnership. Now railways are to be nationalised, perhaps all high speed services (including domestic HS2 services) will share the same identities?

On a lot of HS2's concept art they have "HS2" plastered all over the stations etc, but I'm assuming that is simply placeholder. "HS1" is effectively seen nowhere in the public-facing realm.

Thoughts?

 

[The Planner]

Especially now the railways are being "fully" nationalised, I was wondering how people thought HS2 would be marketed/branded, in terms of wayfinding, livery etc.

Clearly the initial intention was to have something like "Avanti Highspeed" when HS2 was to come under the West Coast Partnership. Now railways are to be nationalised, perhaps all high speed services (including domestic HS2 services) will share the same identities?

On a lot of HS2's concept art they have "HS2" plastered all over the stations etc, but I'm assuming that is simply placeholder. "HS1" is effectively seen nowhere in the public-facing realm.

Thoughts?

West Coast Partnership isnt dead yet.

 

[merseydrew]

West Coast Partnership isnt dead yet.

will there be a distinction between services running on wcml and HS2?

 

[styles]

I wouldn't actually be surprised if it wasn't just branded 'HS2'.

Can't really go with royal naming as 'Charlie line' brings other things to mind.

 

[The Planner]

will there be a distinction between services running on wcml and HS2?

Clearly different traction. I very much doubt anyone has even thought of what colour the trains will be yet, its not important at this stage.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

will there be a distinction between services running on wcml and HS2?

The notion has always been that the ICWC operator runs both routes.
Hence Trenitalia in the last franchise award (West Coast Partnership/Avanti), for their high speed expertise.
How that will play out in GBR terms is unclear.
It also matters how the other WCML operators (especially WMT) are integrated into GBR.
HS2 itself was not intended to be operationally part of Network Rail, but again, who knows?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Clearly different traction. I very much doubt anyone has even thought of what colour the trains will be yet, its not important at this stage.

Mind you, much as I’d be upset by it as I love the 390s, I can see a second batch of the same Hitachi-Alstom stock being ordered to cover a Pendolino replacement soon enough.

 

[Matt P]

I am not sure why HS2 itself needs a brand or identity, just in the way that HS1 doesn't have one. In my opinion any branding would be more relevant to how GBR wants to group and market particular rail services. If there were to be a distinct brand identity for longer distance/higher speed services (i.e. a new incarnation of Intercity) then there may be a case for separate sub-Incercity brands for services that use HS2 and those that don't (s per SNCF TGV and Intercités or ICE and IC in France and Germany.

 

[Energy]

Mind you, much as I’d be upset by it as I love the 390s, I can see a second batch of the same Hitachi-Alstom stock being ordered to cover a Pendolino replacement soon enough.

Why? HS2 will take over most Pendolino services, those that remain will be better served by 805/807s.

 

[The Planner]

Mind you, much as I’d be upset by it as I love the 390s, I can see a second batch of the same Hitachi-Alstom stock being ordered to cover a Pendolino replacement soon enough.

390s have plenty of life in them.

 

[eldomtom2]

I am not sure why HS2 itself needs a brand or identity, just in the way that HS1 doesn't have one. In my opinion any branding would be more relevant to how GBR wants to group and market particular rail services. If there were to be a distinct brand identity for longer distance/higher speed services (i.e. a new incarnation of Intercity) then there may be a case for separate sub-Incercity brands for services that use HS2 and those that don't (s per SNCF TGV and Intercités or ICE and IC in France and Germany.

HS1 does have a separate identity from other Southeastern services, though.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

390s have plenty of life in them.

Yes I'm glad. I'm personally hoping they see 40

 

[Gloster]

I wouldn't actually be surprised if it wasn't just branded 'HS2'.

Can't really go with royal naming as 'Charlie line' brings other things to mind.

Call it ‘The Harrods Line’: it costs an enormous sum and few people want it. (With apologies to Yes, Prime Minister.)

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I mean, a high speed rail line should be a national symbol of progress. So calling it something tub-thumpingly bland will be a missed opportunity to put it lightly.


Maybe something like "Britannia" after the engine and the national symbol. "Comet" after the named train to Manchester is another apt title. Another "what if British Rail wasn't privatised" alternative history story that was written before mine did coined the term "Intercity Velocity" for BR's hypothetical high speed train.

Or how about Intercity 400?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

HS1 does have a separate identity from other Southeastern services, though.

HS1 is now "London St Pancras High Speed".
You can extrapolate to HS2, but a different authority (DfT) will be in charge.

HS1 Ltd is now London St. Pancras Highspeed

Read the article about 'HS1 Ltd is now London St. Pancras Highspeed ' from London St. Pancras Highspeed.

stpancras-highspeed.com

 

[Bletchleyite]

HS1 is now "London St Pancras High Speed".
You can extrapolate to HS2, but a different authority (DfT) will be in charge.

HS1 Ltd is now London St. Pancras Highspeed

Read the article about 'HS1 Ltd is now London St. Pancras Highspeed ' from London St. Pancras Highspeed.

stpancras-highspeed.com

HS1 Ltd is that. However, the public-facing name is "Southeastern Hispeed" or "Javelin" (the latter persisting despite the International Olympic Committee not liking it outside the Olympic context). I do like "Javelin" and similar ideas upthread about stuff like "Comet", though no doubt people would draw comparisons with the unsuccessful airliner of that name.

I think "Avanti Hispeed" was likely before, but now it'll probably be something like "GBR Hispeed".

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

HS1 Ltd is that. However, the public-facing name is "Southeastern Hispeed" or "Javelin" (the latter persisting despite the International Olympic Committee not liking it outside the Olympic context). I do like "Javelin" and similar ideas upthread about stuff like "Comet", though no doubt people would draw comparisons with the unsuccessful airliner of that name.

I think "Avanti Hispeed" was likely before, but now it'll probably be something like "GBR Hispeed".

Javelin is not the public-facing name in the slightest. The 395s say Javelin on the side because that is what the stock were named, but the operation is no more named “Javelin“ than Avanti services to Manchester are named “Pendolino.”

 

[Matt P]

HS1 does have a separate identity from other Southeastern services, though.

HS1 (the railway line) does not face a separate identity. The infrastructure is operated by London St Pancras High Speed, but that is just the name of the concession holder. It isn't the public face of HS1 in just the same way that Network Rail isn't the public face of the conventional rail network.

The public face of HS1 is Eurostar and Southeastern Hispeed.

The situation on HS2 is unlikely to be significantly different. The operator of the infrastructure will either by a concession or whatever the infrastructure division of GBR gets called. The public face of HS2 will be a brand or sub-brand of GBR's passenger services division, possibly branded a Hispeed or similar to distinguish from regular intercity services.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The situation on HS2 is unlikely to be significantly different. The operator of the infrastructure will either by a concession or whatever the infrastructure division of GBR gets called. The public face of HS2 will be a brand or sub-brand of GBR's passenger services division, possibly branded a Hispeed or similar to distinguish from regular intercity services.

You could do a lot worse than simply "Intercity Hispeed". I don't think anyone has it in for that branding on Southeastern.

TT-ONR-NRN was correct that Javelin isn't the branding of the operation, rather the EMUs, but replicating something similar would be no bad idea. Pendolino has become quite a strong brand, I don't know if Evero will though. Azuma certainly has.

 

[Meerkat]

On the theme of Eurostar - North Star.......

 

[Cross City]

On the theme of Eurostar - North Star.......

Seeing as it's only going to the Midlands and not the North, probably not a good idea.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I think it needs to be something special and iconic. Something that says Britain has a fresh start.

 

[Transilien]

You could do a lot worse than simply "Intercity Hispeed". I don't think anyone has it in for that branding on Southeastern.

Intercity was direct to the point, HS2 should follow that tradition

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Intercity was direct to the point, HS2 should follow that tradition

Intercity 250? (250 mph)

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Seeing as it's only going to the Midlands and not the North, probably not a good idea.

But the trains will reach the north and Scotland, once the junction at Handsacre is operational.
And once HS2 reaches Euston, you will have a choice of trains (but probably all run by the same operator).
OOC station somehow will have to differentiate between trains on the GW or HS2 routes, again probably run by the same operator.

 

[RailWonderer]

But the trains will reach the north and Scotland, once the junction at Handsacre is operational.
And once HS2 reaches Euston, you will have a choice of trains (but probably all run by the same operator).
OOC station somehow will have to differentiate between trains on the GW or HS2 routes, again probably run by the same operator.

I proposed Intercity North West on another thread which I think both legacy and high speed trains from Euston should use. No need to have seperate brands and cause complication when it could be a lot more streamlined.

 

[Sorcerer]

I'm not quite sure on where I stand with HS2 having separate identity or branding, but seeing as its service pattern will be different than regular InterCity I can sort of see a need for it. If we must give a distinctive identity to it like how we have AVE in Spain, TGV in France, ICE in Germany, and Freccia in Italy, then I expect High Speed will be what we end up with to put it more in line with Southeastern High Speed. Neither acknowledges the line they run on, but they do brand themselves on being distinctively separate high speed services.

Unfortunately I am not creative enough to come up with a better name on the spot right now, though I think maybe the HS2 stock itself could be nicknamed 'Peregrines' after the falcon. Like the bird, the trains will majestically soar at over 300km/h, and even has a bit of uniquely British relevance in that, much like how the falcon spread from the north and west further south in recent years, HS2 will more closely connect the north and south. Sadly not as well as the project originally intended, but I think it still fits.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

You could do a lot worse than simply "Intercity Hispeed". I don't think anyone has it in for that branding on Southeastern.

I might if it was spelt like that!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I might if it was spelt like that!

It is how Southeastern spell it.

 

[Class15]

It is how Southeastern spell it.

Quite a neat spelling, too, shorter and more unique.