DECARBONISATION and new trains look set to dominate Scotland’s Railways over the next decade. This is not the first time the railway north of the border has looked to operate differently from the rest of the country. The use of redundant, refurbished High Speed Trains on intercity services at the same time other operators were opting for underfloor-engined fleets is a prime example.
Both the UK and Scottish governments have plans for decarbonising the railways, with deadlines set by the pair. However, the deadlines differ, with the Scottish date of 2035 more challenging than the UK’s 2050 deadline, albeit the latter wants rid of diesel-only trains by 2040.
This means ScotRail’s current fleet will need changing.
Including all the various subclasses, ScotRail operates 14 fleets. These are: Class 153, 156, 158, 170/3 and 170/4 diesel multiple units, Class 318, 320/3, 320/4, 334, 380/0, 380/1, 385/0 and 385/1 electric multiple units and the Inter7City HSTs.
Currently these trains can be found across the country. The five Class 153s are used on the West Highland Line from Glasgow Queen Street to Oban, operating paired with a Class 156. They offer extra luggage and bicycle space and feature Wi-Fi, USB ports and tables. Passengers are also able to sample food aboard the ‘153s’ as well. Currently two of the five are in use per day, and from this year the plan is for them to start serving Mallaig. They are based at Corkerhill.
The two-car Class 156 fleet is one of the workhorses of ScotRail fleet and can be found across Scotland, as well as on routes into England. The trains operate on diesel services from both Glasgow
