InterCity 125 designer receives knighthood in Honours List

The man behind the InterCity 125, Kenneth Grange, has received a knighthood in the New Year Honours List.

Grange, 83, designed the interior layout and the nose cone exterior for Britain’s first high-speed train.

The InterCity 125 was introduced onto the network in 1976.

With a top speed of 125mph, it became the fastest diesel train in service in the world at the time.

In an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year, Grange said it was by accident that he became involved in the project, working on aspects of the design without British Rail’s knowledge.

In 2005, the government announced the phasing out of the InterCity 125 and earlier this year it approved a £4.5 billion deal for 92 new trains from a consortium comprising Hitachi and John Laing.

Grange, who has designed Kodak cameras and food mixers for Kenwood, has been presented with a host of design awards in his career, including 10 Design Council Awards, five honorary doctorates and the Duke of Edinburgh Design Prize.