Final upgraded Inter7City high speed train 'reduces Highland-Central Belt trip by 10 minutes'
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The last of ScotRail’s upgraded Inter7City high speed trains has arrived in Scotland.
The trains connect Scotland’s seven cities, offering enhanced services for commuters, business travellers and tourists.
The trains have brought increased seat and luggage capacity, power sockets in the seating areas and upgraded on-board catering, which ScotRail will be re-introducing when COVID-19 restrictions allow.
The fleet provided a 33 per cent increase in seating capacity on Scotland’s intercity network with more WiFi, leg room, new seats and tables and with better on-board passenger information.
Journey times between Inverness and the central belt have been reduced by 10 mins on average, with Glasgow to Inverness taking less than three hours, says ScotRail.
The upgraded Inter7City high speed trains initially operated on the East Coast mainline between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, but now run on the following routes serving all seven Scottish cities:
· Glasgow / Edinburgh – Aberdeen.
· Glasgow / Edinburgh – Inverness.
· Aberdeen – Inverness (many Glasgow / Edinburgh – Aberdeen services will be extended through to Inverness).
· Glasgow / Edinburgh – Perth.
· Glasgow / Edinburgh – Dundee via Perth / Stirling.
The refurbishment programme was carried out by Wabtec Doncaster (coaches) and Brush Traction Loughborough (power cars) from late 2017 through to 2021.
Syeda Ghufran, ScotRail engineering director, said: “The final upgraded Inter7City high speed train to be unveiled in Scotland is the last piece in the jigsaw to connect our seven cities, bringing better on-train facilities and quicker journey times.
“We are confident customers will continue to benefit from all of these enhancements once the current coronavirus restrictions are lifted.”
