ScotRail reveals £475m plan to upgrade train fleet

A £475 million improvement programme for ScotRail’s train fleet was unveiled on December 21.

Included are refurbishments for existing fleets, the introduction of refurbished High Speed Trains, and the delivery of brand new electric multiple units from Hitachi.

It represents the biggest train improvement programme ever delivered north of the border, and when finished the £475m plan will leave ScotRail with 75% of its fleet either new or fully refurbished.

The first of the new Class 385s will be delivered for testing this summer and will enter traffic in autumn 2017. HSTs will begin to enter traffic in summer 2018.

During the next three years 180 carriages will be added to the SR fleet, while two-thirds of the operator’s fleet will be refurbished. More than 17,000 at-seat power points will be added to trains, and 346 more trains will be equipped with free WiFi. Seven Class 320s (converted from Class 321/4s) will also enter traffic this year.

“This is the biggest improvement programme in ScotRail’s history. It is an extraordinary programme of works that will give Scotland a railway of which we can be truly proud,” said ScotRail Alliance Director Phil Verster.

“I know that one of the biggest issues concerning our customers is busy trains. I hope, with the programme we are announcing today, people will see we are taking action.

“We are not just about running metal boxes up and down tracks. We want to connect people with jobs, business with customers, and tourists with destinations. Our vision of Connecting Scotland is about using the railway to help our country to grow and prosper.”

• For more on this story, and details of Class 385 operations, read RAIL 791, published on January 6 2016.