New trains to run on Caledonian Sleeper’s Inverness service from next month
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£150 million Sleeper carriages will be more than a year late when they arrive on the Highland line in October.
A host of problems beset the carriages when they were first rolled out elsewhere in Scotland.
Manufacturing and design delays put back their launch on the Edinburgh and Glasgow to London route until April this year.
Touted as a “hotel on wheels”, the new cabins on ‘Lowlander’ routes then suffered numerous problems including cancellations, night-time evacuations, leaking water systems, broken toilets and intercom alarms going off through the night.
Passengers expecting the plush new carriages have also found themselves placed in the old carriages. Many have slated the quality of service.
Those problems led to the ‘Highlander’ legs of the overnight service to Inverness, Fort William and Aberdeen being delayed until June this year, then September and, now, October 13.
The Serco-run service’s managing director,, Ryan Flaherty, confirmed passengers would now be able to travel in “high standard” overnight accommodation from the new date.
He said: “We are pleased to confirm the new carriages will be introduced on the Highland service on October 13.
“The postponement of the introduction of the new carriages since the summer has allowed Caf, the train manufacturer, to complete the work required on the remaining rolling stock to ensure they can be accepted into service.
“The time has also been used to carry out retrofit work on the first 32 of the new carriages with new pipework to correct the water corrosion problems that were initially encountered.
“We are pleased with the progress that has been made.
“Guests will have the best possible experience once the new trains were introduced.”
