New high-speed ScotRail trains planned for the Highlands are delayed by at least a year

Scotrail’s plans to introduce high-speed trains to Inverness have gone off the rails.

The Dutch-run rail provider has admitted they will be delayed until May 2020 at the earliest – at least a year later than promised.

It had proposed faster, hourly services from Aberdeen and the central belt by May this year, replacing the ageing, overcrowded three-carriage Class 170 fleet.

But only seven of 26 refurbished high-speed trains (HST) – officially the world’s fastest diesels – have so far been delivered by suppliers Wabtec.

For more see the latest edition of the Inverness Courier.

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