Charging ahead – new electric train runs on the mainline link between cities
First of the Class 385 fleet carries out trial run between Glasgow and Linlithgow before full test programme
The long- awaited redevelopment of Scotland’s busiest railway to ok a significant step towards completion this week as an electric train travelled along part of the route for the first time.
One of the new Class 385 Hitachi electric trains – which has still to be f i tted with i nteriors – successfully t r ave ll e d b e t ween Edinburgh and Linlithgow at 2am on Wednesday.
It i s one of a fleet of r ol l i ng st o ck co m m i s s i o n e d fo r th e ne w l y el e c t r i f i e d Ed i n b u r g h - G l a s g o w mainline via Falkirk High, which is us e d b y t h o u s a n d s o f c o mmute r s ever y day.
The trial marked the first time that an electric train has travelled on any section of the route, which has linked S cotl and’s t wo big gest ci t i es s i nce 1842.
Scotrail bosses said that once final safet y checks on the infrastructure along the remainder of the route were complete, full testing of the new trains would begin.
Th e ne w fl e e t i s du e to en t e r passenger ser vice over the next few mo nt h s , of f e r i n g fa s t e r jo u r n e y s and more seats for passengers. The Edinburgh- Glasgow Improvement Project ( EGIP) has seen platforms al o n g th e ro u t e le n g t h e n e d an d Haymarket and Queen Street stations rebuilt to handle longer trains and growing passenger numbers.
But the electrification of the route has been twice delayed, with electric t r ains ori gi nally exp ected to b e i n operation from December last year. A second completition date of July was similarly missed.
Sc o t R a i l Al l i a n c e pr o g r a m m e s di r e c t o r Ia n Mc C o n n e l l sa i d : “We dn e s d a y ’s tr i a l wa s a hu g e l y important step towards completing the electrification of the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Having a train run on the route is one of the fi n a l p h a s e s o f t h e e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n process.
“Tha ti t h a s g o n e s o wel lt e l l s u s th a t we ar e a l mos tr e a dy to b e g i n the next stage – which is to star t ful - ly testing the new trains themselves on the line.
“We are building the best railway t hat S cotl and has ever had. When we replace the diesel trains with the brand new, state of the ar t, electric fl e e t w e wi l l de l i v e r en o r m o u s benefits to our customers.
“More seats and faster journeys will completely transform travel between our two biggest cities.”