Public ‘don’t care how old trains are’, says rail boss

The boss of the Scotrail Alliance said customers “don’t care how old their trains are” when he was challenged on carriages on a new high-speed train roll-out being 40 years old.

Scotrail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes also faced questions on overcrowded trains being a health and safety “nightmare” at a fringe event at the SNP conference in Glasgow yesterday.

An audience member from Aviemore claimed the railway to Inverness had been “forgotten about” and said the quality of the rolling stock was “appalling”.

He questioned the age of the 26 refurbished highspeed intercity trains Scotrail was bringing in between Scotland’s cities, including Inverness.

Mr Hynes said: “The carriages themselves are up to 40 years old, but there is not much left on them that are up to 40 years old.

“Customers don’t care how old their trains are. They care is it comfortable and reliable.”