Up to 26 ScotRail Mk 3s will be refurbished and modified at Wabtec Rail’s Kilmarnock facility, in a move designed to speed up the delayed introduction of the Inter7City High Speed Train fleet.
So far, two of the 26 sets are in traffic. The first entered service in October (RAIL 864), when they should have been in use from May last year. The condition of the stock transferred from Great Western Railway, as well as problems recruiting staff, have been cited as reasons for the delays.
Each Mk 3 is being fitted with sliding doors and controlled emission toilets, as well as undergoing a full refurbishment. However, it has been discovered that each coach is different, owing to their being hand-built in the 1970s.
Wabtec said on February 1 that it was developing a second production line at its Ayshire facility, creating and securing around 100 jobs. It expects the first vehicles to arrive at Kilmarnock during Q2 this year (April-June).
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For the FULL story, read RAIL 872, published on February 13, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from February 9.
AndrewJG8918 - 05/02/2019 00:18
Thats brilliant. Because the Class 43 HST's are still the most reliable passenger trains that was built in the UK in the 1970's. And Wabtec are still looking after trains that are 30-40+ years old and are still going today. Despite new trains are being built in the UK and abroad that are replacing these trains. ScotRail should take care of these HST Class 43's. Aswell Hull Trains who are hiring some of the Class 43's as a stop gap before they too are being replaced by Class 802 IET's later this year.