Scotrail celebrates first birthday for class 385 trains

ScotRail celebrates the first birthday of its Class 385 Express trains entering passenger service today.

To mark the occasion, the train operator will hand out cupcakes to customers, as well as provide some onboard entertainment.

The first electric Class 385 train – built by Hitachi Rail – entered passenger service on the Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High line last year on Tuesday, 24 July.

Since then, ScotRail has introduced 62 from a total of 70 trains, operating on nine different routes across Central Scotland, including:

• Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High
• Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk Grahamston
• Glasgow Queen Street – Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa
• Edinburgh Waverley – Dunblane
• Edinburgh Waverley – North Berwick and Dunbar
• Glasgow Central – Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts
• Glasgow Central – Glasgow Central (Cathcart Circle)
• Glasgow Central – Lanark
• Glasgow Central – Inverclyde

In December 2018, ScotRail delivered the first 42-minute journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh with the new trains.

The introduction of these state-of-the-art trains was made possible by the Network Rail Scotland’s electrification of the main line between Scotland’s two largest cities and is part of Abellio’s £475million investment in Scotland’s Railway.

This major investment, funded by the Scottish Government, saw almost 4,000 people carry out six million hours of work.

It is the biggest single transformation in the route’s history and included sinking nearly 3,000 piled foundations and more than 4,600 tonnes of steel masts, which now carry 616 km of overhead wires to power the new trains.

Next week, ScotRail will begin to operate eight-carriage Class 385 Express trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh, following the completion of platform extensions at Glasgow Queen Street station by Network Rail.

ScotRail Engineering Director Syeda Ghufran said:“The introduction of our brand-new Class 385 trains one year ago today has not only improved journey times, but also provided a better experience for our customers.

“As we celebrate this anniversary, it’s great to see that we’re now preparing to run eight-carriage trains for the first time.

“The investment ScotRail and Network Rail is making to modernise Scotland’s Railway, and introduce new and upgraded trains, means faster journeys, more seats, and more services for our customers.”

Hitachi Rail General Manager of Scotland Tim Olton said:“These electric trains are performing extremely well, easing congestion and proving popular with passengers.

“The fleet’s successful introduction is testament to the hard work of our dedicated maintenance team in Edinburgh.

“Working with ScotRail and Transport Scotland on a day-to-day basis has ensured this train is one of UK’s most reliable new trains.”