Modern Railways – April 2019

60 Modern Railways April 2019 http://www.modern-railways.com

electrification specification for Scotland. ‘We’ve

convened workshops to understand what good

likes like and have now had the first draft of the

specification back from Network Rail’ says Mr Reeve.

‘It gets us about two-thirds of the way to where

we want to be, which is a really good place, and

we’re now working on covering the remaining

one-third. For example, it’s already identified

opportunities to reduce the number of bridge

reconstructions needed when electrifying railways.’

While no further wiring schemes have yet been

announced in Scotland, Mr Reeve says there are

projects in the final stages of the pipeline process

which will benefit from an efficient technical

specification. Apart from anything else, the biggest

benefit of electrification is releasing diesel vehicles

for cascade; ‘one of the reasons we struggle to

deliver the quality of service we’d like to is that we

don’t have enough diesel vehicles, something that

has been holding growth back’ says Mr R eeve.

Addressing arguments around the

decarbonisation agenda, Mr Reeve says this

remains a Scottish Government commitment,

but says alternative technologies such as fuel cells

and batteries are not seen as an alternative to

electrification. ‘They are an increasingly credible

replacement for diesel power, but they have a

more expensive unit cost than diesel, which helps

strengthen the case for main line electrification’ he

points out. That said, Mr Reeve is keen to highlight

interest in such technologies north of the border,

noting the trial of the Vivarail battery-powered

Class 230 at Bo’ness last October and ongoing

discussions concerning hydrogen trains.

ROLLING STOCK PLAN

2019 will see further progress with ScotRail’s

fleet upgrade programme, with Mr Reeve

pointing out that a railway system should

not be seen solely in infrastructure terms.

With around half of the fleet now in service,

ScotRail will continue to receive Class 385 EMUs

from Hitachi. These are now displacing the

Class 365s, drafted in by ScotRail following delays

with the new EMUs (‘Moving Wheels’), along with

Class 380s still working on the Cumbernauld route

and the elderly Class 314s, which are being retired.

As already mentioned, the 24x4-car ‘385s’ will

enable the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk

route to become an eight-car railway from

December, with the remaining 46x3-car units

variously deployed across the central belt.

Also continuing will be the rollout of ScotRail’s

refurbished HSTs, a programme subject to delay

due to issues with the re-engineering of the trains

at Wabtec. The operator will eventually have

26 2+4 and 2+5 sets, replete with power doors

and refurbished interiors, marking the creation of

a true inter-city product in Scotland. ‘This will help

us make the most of the network, and I anticipate

there may be a need to lengthen them in time’

says Bill Reeve. ‘There is no specific provision

for this in the ScotRail franchise, but we have

always made provision for variations in franchise

agreements where necessary to avoid the rundown

often seen towards the end of a franchise.’

On the theme of rolling stock, also on the way

are the new Mk 5 carriages built by CAF for the

Caledonian Sleeper franchise. Due to be in service

in July, first on the Lowlander service and then on

the Highlander route, Bill Reeve says the new stock

will transform the way passengers view overnight

travel: ‘I believe they will reacquaint people with

the advantages of travelling overnight and the step

change in quality will be a very pleasant surprise’.

The Scottish Government also retains a

commitment to providing a better rail experience

for tourists on scenic routes such as the West

Highland line. One response to this is the move

to deploy five reconfigured Class 153s to provide

accommodation for luggage and bicycles on

ScotRail services, with the first planned to enter

service as soon as possible on the Oban line.

The reconfiguration work is set to be carried out

by Brodie’s at Kilmarnock, and marks what Bill

Reeve describes as a first step towards creating

a quality tourist offering on scenic routes. To

operate the ‘153s’ to Fort William requires some

gauge clearance work, as specified in the Scottish

Government HLOS, similar to that required

for Class 158s to be introduced on the West

Highland, still a requirement for the ScotRail

Alliance to deliver for the Scottish Government.

FREIGHT

Bill Reeve is keen that freight is not neglected in

the discussion of progress north of the border.

He is quick to praise the change in attitude at

Network Rail and says the best example of this is

the recent completion of the connection to the

new freight terminal for the Highland Spring plant

at Blackford, on the line between Stirling and Perth.

‘This is a scheme which has been known about

The scenic West Highland line: loco No 47614 at Polnish

Chapel on 16 February 2019 with a Locomotive Services Ltd

private charter from Fort William to Mallaig. Jamie Squibbs

058-061_MR_Apr 2019_scotland.indd 60 12/03/2019 15:05