EVERYDAY services operated by the legendary high speed trains (HSTs) look to be a thing of the past in West Yorkshire.

Crosscountry was the last operator to use HSTs on revenue-earning passenger services in West Yorkshire, although some remain in operation on Scotrail services and on the Great Western region.

On Monday night, what is expected to be the final HST diagram operated by Crosscountry is en-route to Leeds after setting off from Plymouth shortly before 4.30pm. 

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The service is being powered by HST power cars 43007 and 43008, which had both been repainted into heritage liveries to commemorate the end of an era. According to the RealTimeTrains website, it is due at Wakefield Westgate at 11.17pm and Leeds shortly after 11.30pm.

The HSTs are often described as the trains that transformed Intercity travel in the UK and were once a very regular sight on the railways of Yorkshire, including in Bradford. One of the Class, number 43085, even carried the nameplate 'City of Bradford'.

Although HSTs may be pushed into operation in future days if there is a shortage of other trains, most experts suggest tonight's service will be the last time one of these iconic trains operates in West Yorkshire on an everyday revenue-earning service, bringing the curtain down on a significant chapter in British railway history. 

When the withdrawal of the HSTs was first announced, a Crosscountry spokesperson said: "While our High Speed Trains have served us well, they have been in use for over 40 years."

The company said the change would "enable us to run a more efficient service that also reflects the way people are now travelling for business and leisure and requires fewer trains to deliver the number of seats customers need at present."