CONCERNS have been raised over the HS2 project with allegations that the new high-speed trains are too high for existing UK platforms, according to the i Newspaper.

It is claimed the impending 225mph trains, currently in the hands of Network Rail and the Office for Rail and Road, might not be greenlit for integration with the existing network due to a discrepancy in height, which could potentially make them unsafe for public use.

Among the stations where the high-speed trains will run with platforms of 'concern' included Penrith and Oxenholme. 

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: “HS2’s new trains and stations are designed to work seamlessly together, providing the best possible street-to-seat service that will enable everyone, including those with limited mobility, to more easily use the high-speed railway.

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“However, maintaining our trains’ improved accessibility standards along the West Coast Mainline is complicated by platform heights varying at different stations. Therefore we’ve engineered a separate step to minimise the gap between train and platform." 

HS2 Ltd has stated the technology of the high-speed trains, which are still in the design stage, would allow a differential step extension mechanism depending on whether they stop at a high speed or conventional station, ensuring minimal stepping distance and increased accessibility at varying platform heights.

Additionally, HS2 Ltd has refuted claims in the newspaper that the redesign to address the train/platform interface issue could cost taxpayers an additional '£200 million'.

HS2 Ltd clarified that while some design adjustments are being made, including the number of doors on the trains, the total costs for these changes have not been finalised, and the figure of £200million figure is not accurate.