ScotRail is set to spend £80m on 22 brand new High Speed Trains (HSTs) that will operate across Scotland, including routes between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The Scottish Government will invest a further £67m to assist the project.
The current fleet of HSTs have been operating for 8 years, but the model has been in use for 50 years and is reaching the end of its serviceability.
Scotrail Managing Director Joanne Maguire has promised the new models will provide “Enhancements in comfort, accessibility, and reliability.”
The new trains will see refurbished interiors and exteriors as well as quality of life upgrades like improved accessibility for wheelchair users, increased onboard storage space for pushchairs and bikes, and a new Wi-Fi system.
The new Class 222 HSTs will also be diesel and electric hybrids, as opposed to the solely diesel-powered trains currently in action.
Their rollout will be a multiyear operation, and replacements will continue through until late 2028.
The announcement has had a mostly positive reception from the public. ScotRail has faced heightened scrutiny over the safety of their HSTs following a derailment incident in 2020 that killed three people.
The inquest found the blame for the tragedy falls onto outdated technology that was in need of maintenance before the crash.
Rob Whyte, the Managing Director of Alstom which will oversee the implementation of the new trains, stated:
Image by Max Brown for The Student.
