Night testing for Scotland’s first Class 385

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Photo: ScotRail.
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The ScotRail Alliance has released photos of T2 – its Class 385 test train – carrying out night tests on the network.

The four-car train is one of 70 being built by Hitachi for the Glasgow to Edinburgh route. They will be phased into service from September.

Ian McConnell, programmes and transformation director for the ScotRail Alliance, said:  “It’s fantastic to have the first of our new trains actually running on Scotland’s railway as this means we are one step closer to making them available to our customers.

“But before we do that, we have to make sure each train is fully tested on the network. That means ensuring that it interacts properly with railway infrastructure such as signals and overhead lines, and that’s what the team is focussing on right now.

“T2 is not yet fitted with seats and tables so we’re using sandbags to represent the weight of these, as well as passengers. That means we are carrying out our tests in realistic conditions.

“Up next will be the second phase of testing, when the new fleet will be allowed to operate on the network alongside other trains. That is likely to begin in spring on two routes from Edinburgh, to North Berwick and to Glasgow via Falkirk High – so great opportunities for train spotting.”

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