More brand-new trains will run on Central Scotland’s newly electrified railway, as ScotRail confirms the withdrawal of its Class 365 fleet.
The Class 365s, dubbed as ‘happy trains’ due to their yellow front, windscreen and curved grill resembling a smiley face, are being replaced by brand new Hitachi Class 385s.
ScotRail introduced 10 Class 365s last summer as a temporary measure, while it prepared for the arrival of its new, state-of-the-art, Class 385s.
The happy trains added an extra 17,200 extra seats each day on the Glasgow – Edinburgh via Falkirk High route and have since been used on the recently electrified lines between Glasgow / Edinburgh and Stirling / Dunblane / Alloa.
By introducing more brand-new Hitachi Class 385s in the Central Belt, ScotRail will deliver faster journeys on more reliable trains.
The first Class 365s was withdrawn from service on Tuesday 12 March, with the remainder to be phased out over the coming week.
ScotRail Head of Customer Operations Phil Campbell said:
“The Class 365 happy trains were a welcome addition to the ScotRail family, but it’s now time for them to be replaced.
“Over the next week, we’ll withdraw the happy trains from service and replace them with more of our brand-new Class 385s, which will deliver faster journeys and a more reliable service for our customers.”