Several high-speed trains from Europe have been tested to speed up passenger traffic on the Northeast Corridor. The order eventually went to Bombardier and Alstom. The trains took over parts of the structure and the tilting technology from the LRC. Due to the American crash standards, the cars are significantly heavier than on European trains. The power cars, on the other hand, come from the TGV and technically allow a speed of 165 mph. The highest attainable speed on the Northeast Corridor is 150 mph. In fact, many sections are ran at no more than 75 mph and tilting technology cannot always be used because it would exceed the loading gauge. From the end of 2023 they are to be replaced by the Avelia Liberty.

Following the privatization of British Railways, Virgin Rail was given the InterCity West Coast franchise, which includes some lines between London and Edinburgh/Glasgow along the West Coast Main Line. Above all, the class 87 and 90 electric locomotives and the older passenger cars were to be replaced. For this purpose, a fast multiple unit was to be developed, which, thanks to tilting technology, should allow higher running speeds in cueves with a high level of passenger comfort at the same time.

The tilting technology comes from Fiat Ferroviaria and allows an inclination of up to eight degrees. In contrast to older systems, it is no longer hydraulic but electromechanical and thus saves maintenance costs. The pantographs are also tilted so that they are always in the correct position in relation to the catenary. The “Tilt Authorization and Speed Supervision” (TASS) system monitors the use of the tilting technology and the permitted speed. Trackside beacons transmit information to the train, for example to suppress tilting in narrow underpasses.

The majority of the trains' engineering comes from Fiat, but final assembly took place at Alstom's Washwood Heath facility. The trains were delivered consisting of eight cars each, but were soon expanded to include another car. The car bodies were mainly made of aluminum, with nose sections made of composite materials, which were nevertheless able to meet the crash standards of the time. A lot of work was put into the design to achieve a visually appealing, aerodynamic shape.

In seven of the nine cars, the inner axle of both bogies is powered. The traction motors are suspended under the frame and transmit their power via a cardan shaft. Although the trains are designed for 140 mph (225 km/h), they could only be approved for 125 mph (201 km/h). This is because the West Coast Main Line could not be upgraded as planned and thus the signaling does not allow for higher speeds.

Between 2001 and 2004 initially 53 sets were completed. Problems that arose caused the decommissioning of the classes 87 and 90 to be delayed. Soon the trains were setting new records on the 401 mile long WCML between London-Euston and Glasgow. The distance southbound was covered in 3 hours and 55 minutes and northbound in two minutes less. Meanwhile, on the non-electrified North Wales Coast Line, they were hauled by a class 57 diesel locomotive. A train was destroyed in a derailment at Grayrigg in 2007 where only one person died due to the structure.

From 2010, a total of 31 trains were lengthened to eleven carriages and then referred to as class 390/1. At the same time, four more were built in Italy, each consisting of eleven cars. When Avanti took over InterCity West in 2019, the Pendolinos went to Avanti West Coast. The trains are being modernized since 2021. A first-class car is exchanged for a second-class one and the interior is modernized and equipped with power sockets.

The CRH1 is a high-speed EMU that was developed by a joint venture between Bombardier and CSR Sifang at a time when Chinese manufacturers also founded joint ventures with Kawasaki and Alstom to develop similar trains. It is based on the Bombardier Regina that is also being used by several Swedish operators. The CRH1A introduced first in 2007 is an eight-car train that is designed for 250 km/h, but limited in service at 220 km/h.

In 2009, the CRH1B was introduced as a sixteen-car variant that's otherwise identical to the CRH1A, but is approved to reach 250 km/h in service. In the same year, the CRH1E was introduced as a high-speed sleeper train that also consists of 16 cars. In 2012 and 2015, revised variants were introduced which feature a more streamlined nose similar to the CRH380D and an aluminium body instead of stainless steel. These are the CRH1A-A, that is now also approved for 250 km/h in service, and the CRH1E-NG.

Alstom was one of the foreign companies China cooperated with to develop high-speed trains. There, the ETR 600 from the Pendolino family was taken as the basis and the CRH5A without tilting technology was developed from it. The 60 trains initially ordered are being used on the 189 km route between Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan, which was electrified with the support of Alstom.

The first six trains were manufactured entirely in Italy and shipped. Six trainsets were shipped to China as assemblies and then finally assembled there. Only the next trains were then completely manufactured in Changchun thanks to technology transfer. In each eight-car train, five cars have traction motors on one axle of each bogie. With a top speed of 250 km/h or 155 mph, they are among the trains for shorter distances by Chinese standards.

The first repeat order for 30 sets came in 2009, the second for 20 followed in 2010 and 2011 another 30 sets were ordered. A special variant is the CRH5E, which consists only of sleeping cars and is designed for use in colder climates. The CRH5G and CRH5H variants consist of the usual coaches, but in addition to the adaptations for cold climates, they also have adaptations for use in sandstorms. The yellow and white painted CIT001 is a one-off that is used as a test train for the condition of the tracks, overhead lines, communication and signaling systems.

The ICE 3 is, together with the ICE T, the first in the ICE range that doesn't have separate power cars, but all traction equipment is distributed along the train. This layout was chosen because the envisaged speeds of more than 300 km/h (186 mph) required a maximum axle load of 17 tonnes, what could not be realized with the weight of the power cars. So half of the eight cars of each train has four traction motors with 500 kW each, what makes a total power of 8,000 kW or 10,728 hp. It was jointly developed and built by Siemens and Adtranz/Bombardier.

The exterior design is similar to that of the tilting ICE T that was developed only a short time earlier, but the ICE 3 has more pointed fronts. The basic variant is the class 403 that can only be operated under 15,000 V AC. This must not be confused for the class 403 from the seventies. The class 406, called ICE 3M, is also equipped for 1,500 and 3,000 V DC for use in Belgium and the Netherlands. Some were modified to class 406F, which can also operate in France under 25,000 V AC. Another new feature of the ICE 3 was the eddy current brake that slows down the train by inducing a current between an electromagnet and the rails.

In 2005, production of 50 sets of class 403 and 17 sets of class 406 had been completed. They have a design speed of 330 km/h, but are only allowed to run at 300 km/h in Germany. In France, approval was granted for 320 km/h. On DC lines, they are technically limited to 220 km/h. In 2008, a train derailed due to a broken axle. After imposing reduced maintenance intervals and frequent ultrasonic checks, it took until 2019 for all axles to be replaced with new ones made from another alloy. After 2009, the ICE 3 fleet was complemented by the class 407 (Velaro D) and class 408 (Velaro MS), both built exclusively by Siemens. In public, these are known as ICE 3 MS and ICE 3 neo.