Class 385 interiors to be fitted in Italy

Four Class 385s will have their interiors fitted at Hitachi’s facility in Pistoia (Italy), before they enter traffic with ScotRail.

Four-car 385102 was taken to Tees Dock on April 29, with three-car 385001 following the next night. They will be joined in Italy by 385002 and 385101, which have been used for tests at Velim (Czech Republic) and lately in Germany.

A Hitachi spokesman explained that the four pre-series trains must visit Italy, rather than the company’s Newton Aycliffe facility, because their build has reached too advanced a stage for them to be slotted into the production line at the county Durham site.

The four ‘385s’ will return to the UK in the autumn and are expected into traffic before the end of the year.

There is still no date for the trains to enter traffic, but Hitachi told RAIL on April 30: “We’re doing everything within our power to deliver a fleet of brand new electric trains as quickly as possible for passengers in Scotland.”

The ‘385s’ require a redesigned windscreen to be fitted before they enter traffic, following safety concerns raised by ASLEF ( RAIL 850). Once the new design has been approved, the eight ‘385s’ with completed interiors in Scotland will transfer to KnorrBremse Rail Services’ Springburn Works. They will be 385014-016, 385103/104/122-124.