British Rail Class 385

British Rail Class 385
In service	Due to enter service in 2017–2018
Manufacturer	Hitachi Rail
Built at	Kasado, Japan Newton Aycliffe (UK)
Family name	A-Train
Replaced	Class 156 Class 158 Class 170 Class 314
Constructed	2015-
Number under construction	70 units to be built 10 unit optional follow up order after 2020
Formation	46 x 3-carriage 24 x 4-carriage
Capacity	385/1 = 251 seats (20 first class, 231 standard)
Operator(s)	ScotRail
Line(s) served	Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Stirling / Alloa / Dunblane Lines Shotts Line Carstairs Line North Berwick Line Cathcart Circle Lines
Specifications
Car length	23 m (75 ft)
Maximum speed	160 km/h (100 mph)
Electric system(s)	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current collection method	Pantograph
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes
Sources : Rolling Stock overview Except where noted

The Class 385^[1] is an electric multiple unit being built by Hitachi Rail for Abellio ScotRail. A total of 70 units are planned to be built, divided into 46 three-car and 24 four-car sets.^[2] The new trains are being procured to operate services on newly electrified lines in the Central Belt on a mixture of both suburban and inter-urban routes.

History

A Class 385 bodyshell being built by Hitachi

In October 2014, immediately after being awarded the ScotRail franchise, Abellio, a subsidiary of the Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, announced that it had concluded an agreement with the Japanese manufacturer Hitachi Rail to procure 234 new EMU carriages from its AT-2000 product series for use on routes in Scotland that were being electrified.^[3] These new trains, which will be formed into a mix of three and four-car units, are intended to operate along the main Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line (due to be electrified by December 2016) and across Central Scotland.^[4] The electrification programme, and purchase of new EMUs to operate services, will allow a subsequent cascade of the diesel multiple units currently used elsewhere on the network.

The order for the new EMUs was the first operator-based purchase of a Hitachi product for use in the UK following the IEP procurement, and its subsequent construction of its new facility at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham. The bulk of the new fleet will be constructed there, with the first seven units being built at Hitachi's main factory in Kasado, Japan.^[5] Construction of the first units began in November 2015, with delivery due to begin from late 2016 and service entry scheduled for Autumn 2017.^[2][6]

An additional ten 3-car units will be purchased by Abellio if Transport Scotland exercise the option to extend the Scotrail contract from 7 to 10 years. These units would enter service in 2023.^[7]

Operation

The Class 385 units are primarily intended for services originating from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. The main operation will be on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk line, which is the principal and fastest route between Scotland's two major cities and is now electrified under the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme due for completion by December 2016.^[8]

The new trains will also operate on the newly electrified Croy, Dunblane and Shotts lines as well as replacing existing stock on the currently electrified Carstairs, North Berwick and Cathcart Circle Lines. This will allow for the replacement of ScotRail's Class 314 fleet, and allow for the cascading of a number of Class 156, Class 158 and Class 170 units.^[9]

Fleet details

1: ^ Conditional on Abellio ScotRail franchise being extended.^[10]

References

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