Just the ticket: HS2’s carriages hold out the prospect of wider seats and more generous legroom

The train arriving on platform one will be slightly heavier than usual. A new generation of high-speed trains is being designed to accommodate the expanding girths of British passengers.

“Customers are changing,” said Chris Rayner, managing director of railway operations at the HS2 high-speed rail network, in a presentation to rail industry executives. “We’re getting bigger.”

The prospect of wider seats and more generous legroom will thrill any long-limbed traveller who has experienced the spillover effect of passengers too broad for standard seats.

“HS2 trains will need to offer space for taller people and [allow for] much higher instances of obesity among passengers,” Rayner said. Companies bidding for a £2.75bn contract to build the first 60 trains for Britain’s £56bn high-speed network will be expected