This is sad news. Not just because I like HSTs, I like the leg room, there's less that can go wrong and because they're still probably the UK's most popular and successful train, but ....
... it's very bad news for the wear and tear of the track and for efficiency. These new trains cause a lot of track damage and with all those engines they are inefficient.
They cost more to run and offer less seats. Progress? I think not!
Let's face it, the SRA is extremely embarrased at this and desperately wants MML to operate at least one just so that the SRA don't look so bad for ordering the white elephants.
This is another example of 'boiling frogs', it does the industry no favours. Ship them of to somewhere else (if anywhere will have them).
Some passengers from places like Nottingham, Sheffield etc already favour GNER over MML, and MML having more trains with underfloor engines will only widen this gap.
Even today with GNER engineering works extending journey times (via Hertford and the slow lines as far as Sandy) the passengers sat behind me had chosen to drive from Mansfield just north of Nottingham to Newark to get cheaper, faster, GNER than go with MML! MML needs to win custom from GNER and putting more underfloor engined DMUs on is not going to achieve that.