First refurbished Scottish Class 156 back in traffic
THE first ScotRail Class 156 to undergo a full internal refurbishment as part of a £16 million scheme has entered traffic north of the border.
SR 156510 was unveiled on June 27 at East Kilbride, one of five routes on which the two-car diesel multiple units will be used. They feature new seats manufactured by Fainsa in Spain, along with power sockets, new flooring, accessible toilets and dedicated wheelchair spaces. This work will enable the fleet of ‘156s’ to meet the Persons of Reduced Mobility/ Technical Specifications for Interoperability (PRM/TSI).
Scottish Minister for Islands and Transport Humza Yousaf said: “This will make a real difference for passengers, including myself as I use these trains regularly.”
He said that the work builds on seven months of continuous improvement in franchise performance, adding: “Good, highquality refurbishment can deliver a passenger experience comparable with new rolling stock.”
The work will be carried out by Knorr-Bremse Rail Services at Springburn, with Yousaf saying that the contract will guarantee jobs at the site. The contract will be completed in March 2019.
Initial work on the Class 156s began in February last year, but 156510 is the first of the fleet to be fitted with the new interiors. Transport Scotland said the DMUs already through Springburn will be retro-fitted with the new interiors.
Thirty-eight of SR’s 48 Class 156s leased from Angel Trains will be refurbished. The other ten will go off-lease in December 2018, following the introduction in Scotland of High Speed Trains and Class 385 electric multiple units which will create an internal cascade of Class 158 and ‘170’ DMUs.