While it was intended for the InterCity 225 to be extremely ubiquitous, even potentially having the capability built into it to operate over the southern third-rail network and within the Channel Tunnel, such fanciful ideas had been curtailed by mid 1984. BR officials opted to deprioritise the freight haulage capabilities of the Intercity 225. Instead, they planned to meet the outstanding traction needs for the sector via other platforms. The Class 87 locomotive had proven itself to be relatively capable since its introduction roughly one decade earlier, thus there was considerable interest procuring additional units as a low-cost option with virtually no risk for the West Coast Main Line (WCML). BREL issued its submission to produce an initial batch of 25 "Class 87/2s", which quickly received a favourable reception.