New and revamped trains for abellio’s fleet FOLLOWING THE TAKEOVER OF OPERATIONS ON THE SCOTRAIL FRANCHISE ON 1ST APRIL THIS YEAR, ABELLIO SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH HITACHI RAIL EUROPE TO SECURE 70 BRAND NEW ELECTRIC TRAINS.
Once delivered from September 2017, these faster, quieter and longer trains will operate on Scotland’s busiest route – the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High Line which is part of the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh to Glasgow Rail Improvement Programme (EGIP). The new trains will also run between
Glasgow-Stirling/Alloa/Dunblane; between Edinburgh-Dunblane, and on south Glasgow suburban routes (Cathcart Circle) as well as be phased into services to Neilston, Newton and Shotts. EGIP will enable eight-carriage electric trains to run between Glasgow and Edinburgh, providing almost 50 per cent
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more seats in the peak than current services and reducing journey time. In an industry-first deal, the Scottish Government could buy up the full fleet of trains after 25 years for just £1 – securing the carriages for use in Scotland well beyond Abellio’s 10-year ScotRail contract.