With new electrification of some Cross Country services, such as the GWML, and with quite a few services running under electrified lines for some long journeys, I was thinking if it's feasible to order Hitachi IETs for Cross Country services. Maybe for some services, because of third rail electrification, Cross Country would order the first ever tri-mode IETs! Basically IETs that can do diesel, overhead electric and third rail electric.
If that happened then (for journeys where the IETs are suitable and ideal):
Plymouth to
Edinburgh Waverley or
Glasgow Central service would run diesel from Plymouth to Bristol Temple Meads, then under electric mode from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway (provided the Temple Meads section is electrified), then diesel up until Wakefield Westgate (because the only electrified section would be around Birmingham New Street, and running electric for such a short electrified section would be no use), and then electric from Wakefield Westgate all the way up to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
(
Southampton Central and)
Reading to Newcastle could run on third rail electric from Southampton Central to Basingstoke, then diesel from Basingstoke to Doncaster (unless Basingstoke to Reading and Oxford gets electrified which in this case it would run on overhead electric from Basingstoke until Oxford lol) and then overhead electric for the rest of the journey, so from Doncaster to Newcastle.
Bournemouth to
Manchester Piccadilly could run on third rail electric from Bournemouth to Basingstoke then diesel from Basingstoke to Coventry (unless Basingstoke to Reading and Oxford gets electrified which in this case it would run on overhead electric from Basingstoke until Oxford lol) and then overhead electric for the rest of the journey from Coventry to Manchester Piccadilly.
Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly could run on overhead electric from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway (provided the Temple Meads section is electrified), then diesel up to Birmingham New Street, and overhead electric for the rest of the journey from Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly.
I remember Cross Country were thinking of converting 220s and 221s into bi-mode (the so called eVoyager / Project THOR), but then they didn't bother anymore about it.
I'd love to hear everybody's else opinions on whether ordering IETs for Cross Country is feasible or not, because of quite a large sections of Cross Country services running under electrified lines.