A view to a thrill

The key to launching this ambitious product is having all the elements both available and guaranteed. If a tourist boards the train and finds it is not of the refurbished Scenic Train standard but something less appealing, substituted for the operator’s convenience, then web sites such as TripAdvisor will soon reflect the disappointment, and the whole marketing effort is jeopardised.

Therefore, while discussions continue on food baskets, ambassadors and websites, the launch of the GSRJ initiative will not be until 2017. By this time, ScotRail’s entire fleet of Class 158s will have been refurbished to provide the requisite on-train quality.

The initiative involves close collaboration with several bodies, notably VisitScotland. As well as improving rail revenues, the aim is to boost visitor numbers at hotels and B&Bs, pubs and coffee shops, tourist attractions, and all manner of such places along the five lines.

To this end, ScotRail Head of Communications Clare Todd notes the great interest being shown locally in the re-opening of the Borders line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, with jobs already created ahead of the first train’s arrival.

And one example of what is happening on the Borders line illustrates the potential for the other GSRJ routes. 

The service to Tweedbank starts at Edinburgh Waverley station, that name being taken from Sir Walter Scott’s first novel Waverley (published in 1814), and a name also given to the full 98-mile line from Edinburgh to Carlisle (of which the now re-opened section to Tweedbank forms the northerly 35 miles). 

At certain times a coach will meet the train from Edinburgh and take passengers on to Abbotsford (Scott’s nearby home) for the complete tourist experience. Similarly, Melrose Abbey, a key 14th century attraction also close to Tweedbank, is to be linked to the railway.

Todd says that many local businesses have been working with ScotRail and Transport Scotland to maximise the benefits the railway will bring to them and their communities. And with world-class scenery and a first-class product, the same benefits should soon develop along the other GSRJ routes.

As for the refurbished trains that will carry these expectant tourists, ScotRail has a fleet of 40 two-car Class 158 diesel units, built around 1990 and owned by train leasing company Porterbrook. 

Twenty-five of these were refurbished in a £9 million project in 2007-08, and are based at Inverness for use on the Far North and Kyle lines. 

The remaining 15 are based at Edinburgh Haymarket depot, and are now to be brought up to the standard of the 25. This includes new seating and LED lighting, power points, increased luggage and cycle space, refurbished toilets, and new interior and exterior ‘ScotRail’ branding (specified by Transport Scotland), plus a host of reliability improvements. 

Seating is generally arranged to align with windows, and there will be more tables than before, although unfortunately today’s regulations demand a high seatback, meaning that passengers have a restricted view forwards and cannot see a panorama. 

Radio Token Block (RTB) equipment is also to be fitted to these Class 158s, to enable them to operate on the West Highland, Far North and Kyle lines.

Additionally, all 40 ‘158s’ are to have a series of improvements to make them ‘targeted compliant’ with the post-2019 disability regulations (PRM-TSI - Persons of Reduced Mobility - Technical Specification for Interoperability). ScotRail Fleet Projects and Contracts Manager Chris Tait says this includes improved handrails and toilet operation, wheelchair ramps and two spaces for wheelchairs. An automatic passenger count system will also be fitted. 

“Essentially, when the passengers see the train, it will look like a new one,” says Tait.

The first of these refurbished units (158701), was due out of Glasgow’s Springburn works on September 2, and when the project is complete the 40 Class 158s will have a ‘go anywhere’ capability on the GSRJ routes. The size of the homogenous ‘158’ fleet will also allow ScotRail to run four-car sets when there is the demand and where operationally permitted.

Meanwhile, although not linked in any way with the Scenic Trains initiative, the arrival in Scotland of 27 refurbished High Speed Trains will greatly add to the quality experienced by passengers on rail journeys between Scotland’s seven cities. 

The introduction of these trains is presently planned for June-December 2018, and is dependent on them being released by First Great Western as electrification is completed between London and Bristol/Oxford. The HSTs will displace Class 170 diesel units on services from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. 

Before these trains enter service - there will be 14 four-car sets (two power cars plus four carriages) and 13 five-car sets (2+5) - they will be fully refurbished with new seats and tables, new floor coverings and carpets, re-coated ceilings, WiFi and power sockets, improved LED lighting, and the exterior slam doors will be replaced by power-operated ones (in line with the PRM-TSI regulations). 

As this issue of RAIL went to press, ScotRail was in the final stages of deciding which system to adopt for the doors. Vehicle owner Angel Trains has offered two design options - a sliding door (as used on Class 376 Electrostars) or plug door (as fitted to Chiltern Railways’ Mk 3 coaches). The design, manufacture and testing of the doors is first on the critical path for service introduction, says ScotRail, with the selection of a contractor imminent.

As well as giving passengers a third more seats than offered by the current trains on these routes, plus extra legroom and the HSTs’ renowned smooth and quiet ride, these HSTs will also have additional luggage storage and ample space for bicycles and sports equipment (including skis and golf clubs). 

There will also be a galley and buffet area on each train, along with an at-seat trolley service. As with the Scenic Trains, the emphasis will be on Scottish produce. One carriage in each set will be First Class, with all seats having a table.

Some useful journey time improvements are planned. For example, between Inverness and Glasgow/Edinburgh journeys will be an average of 10-12 minutes quicker, and the fastest journeys between Glasgow and Inverness will fall to below three hours. 

Coupled with the greatly improved ambience, this is designed to effect a major step change to inter-city rail travel in Scotland, on what are not only key business services but also strikingly scenic routes in their own right.

Nor has ScotRail’s fleet of Class 156 diesel units been forgotten. Tait says they will receive a full interior rebranding, including new seat covers and WiFi, and all the necessary modifications to make them PRM-TSI compliant, including the same type of toilet as fitted to the HSTs. 

Thirty-eight of ScotRail’s ‘156s’ will receive this upgrade, and the remaining nine will come off-lease in 2018. The Class 170s displaced by the HSTs will be used on shorter (non-electrified) services, largely in the Central Belt.

Throughout Scotland, increased community involvement is intended to form a key aspect of the Scenic Trains initiative.

Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs), the formal link between community groups and the railway aimed at improving railway patronage in specific areas, are a key part of the industry across Britain, and in many places have been spectacularly successful in promoting local lines. 

There are already seven CRPs in Scotland, and ScotRail has plans to at least double this number over the next few years. At the heart of any CRP is a considerable amount of volunteer effort, and ScotRail has a new programme - the ScotRail Deal - for rewarding such commitment. A £1 million ScotRail in the Community fund embraces all these activities.

The train operator is also continuing the Adopt-a-Station programme - it is not only putting strong emphasis on the exterior appearance of stations and platforms, it is also enthusiastic about the potential for returning station buildings to use for the benefit of communities, 

Elaine Bell, head of corporate social responsibility and community, says 270 of ScotRail’s 346 stations have adopters. And new technology, in the shape of the ‘SnapIt’ app, will soon allow these adopters to report any fault or damage at their stations almost instantly.

Meanwhile, the Station Regeneration Fund continues. In allocating such money, Bell says ScotRail “will be looking at how any proposal will financially impact on the community. For example, if there is tourism potential in the area, a tourist office could be opened at the station with the community’s support.”

Schoolchildren will also be encouraged in some areas to learn about the railway, with the introduction of a travelling classroom, in which they can learn about the local history, geography and scenery they see through the carriage windows. They will also have the opportunity to become more familiar with travelling by train more generally, through the School Safety programme run in conjunction with Network Rail. 

And people who find it difficult to travel by train - for example, because of disability or age - will also be helped. Special courses will be run to address such hurdles, using either the travelling classroom or a facility at ScotRail’s offices.

Significant focus is being placed on developing CRPs, in line with the guidance given in the franchise ITT. Two ScotRail-employed Community Liaison Executives - Bridie Casey and Lindley Kirkpatrick - have been appointed to provide a link between the railway and the CRPs and the wider communities (such as schools and businesses), to act as ‘community ambassadors’, and to support (but not run) the CRPs. This is a wider role than was performed by the previous Association of Community Rail Partnerships-sponsored development officers.

ScotRail fully realises that it has a great many skills in-house that could be brought to bear to improve the success of its CRPs - for example, this summer it is holding a workshop to help CRP volunteers create better websites.

And Bell agrees that the new franchise is “giving CRPs more energy and impetus”, adding: “We’re here to support the CRPs through our own skills as well as funding, while the Community Liaison Executives will help the CRPs find routes towards further external funding.”

One new CRP is in the final stages of approval, and the aim is to form 15 new Partnerships over ten years of this franchise. 

The Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) is fully behind these propsals.

“Having helped develop the concept of CRPs in Scotland, ACoRP is looking forward to working with ScotRail in the coming years,” General Manager Neil Buxton tells RAIL.

“ScotRail’s angle on community engagement is very much wider than simply developing CRPs, although they will still be a key part of the strategy. Transport Scotland’s aim in setting the franchise was to ensure that the railway and the community became inextricably entwined, to the benefit of both. And the ‘ScotRail in the Community’ project is designed to do just that, covering CRPs, station adoption projects, volunteers, community ambassadors, community regeneration and many other areas of community support.

“This is an exciting time for Scotland, and is the first time that community engagement has been so clearly written into the fabric of a franchise. 

“An early opportunity to see this concept in action comes with the re-opening of the Borders Line. While the line was being built, ACoRP was helping to develop a Community Rail Partnership to support the new service. Now services are running, the Borders Railway CRP is ready to support the marketing and is in a position to help develop new and innovative links with the communities the line serves.”

The new ScotRail franchise is embarking on a wide-ranging, three-pronged attack to increase passenger numbers by improving the experience both on trains and at stations, initiatives that take what has been done elsewhere in Britain a step further.

By introducing Scenic Trains and high-specifications HSTs, and in promoting an enthusiastic focus on Community Rail Partnerships and station care and development, the economic health of rural and long-distance railways in Scotland - and more importantly that of the communities they serve - looks set to be significantly enhanced in the coming years. 

• This feature was published in RAIL 783 (September 16 - 29 2015)