The full fleet of AT200 electric multiple units could be bought for £1 by the Scottish Government after 25 years’ use.
The trains are being built by Hitachi, with seven under construction in Japan and the remaining 63 to be built at Newton Aycliffe. They will be used on newly electrified lines north of the border as part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).
ScotRail called the deal an “industry first”, and that it has secured the vehicles’ use in Scotland beyond the ten-year ScotRail contract. The contract guarantees the use of the trains for at least 25 years, and includes a long-term maintenance deal.
Abellio ordered 70 EMUs (46 three-car and 24 four-car) as part of its winning bid for the ScotRail franchise. The first tranche (expected to be the four-car trains) will arrive in summer 2017, with the rest introduced by early 2019.
The EMUs’ introduction enables an almost 50% increase in capacity between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street during the peak, when eight-car EMUs will run instead of six-car diesel multiple units.
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Duncan Gracie - 10/09/2015 18:27
EMU operation will bring benefits to this route, of that there is no doubt. But it puzzles me that there would appear to be no appetite for a true inter-city service linking these cities. I look forward with real optimism to the forthcoming inter-city renaissance on Scotland's other main routes, using a train which is still eminently fit for purpose.
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 11/09/2015 23:39
So Abellio Scotrail are already ordering 70 Hitachi AT200 Electric Multiple Units (46 three-car (3-Car) and 24 four-car (4-Car) trains) as part of its winning bid for the ScotRail franchise and also to be part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) with electrification to be installed between the 2 Cities in Scotland and to replace the Diesel Multiple Units to be used in the Highlands where electrification for the highlands is prohibited.
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Colin Redman - 12/09/2015 11:48
The sale for £1 is not news. That fact was announced when the deal was done.
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