ScotRail's flagship new Class 385 trains hit the buffers as a second working day of train cancellations, overcrowded carriages and delays greeted passengers following the launch of its new timetable.
Dozens of train services were cancelled on Tuesday mainly through continuing staff shortages caused by workers not ready for the implementation of the new winter timetable.
Hundreds of passengers are believed to have been affected through cancellations of three Edinburgh to Glasgow services after two of the new flagship Hitachi trains were taken offline because of faults.
It was confirmed that a software fault meant two services were cancelled within 15 minutes of each other, with another biting the dust in the evening due to a separate fault.
The software issue was later resolved to allow Class 385 trains to run later.
In October, ScotRail were forced to withdraw the three Hitachi trains in service after an unspecified fault was identified having been introduced in July.
The environmentally friendly Hitachi trains - which are said to be "light, spacious and modern" - were meant to come into service in March.
But their introduction was delayed after drivers raised concerns about the design of their windscreens.
The latest Hitachi train issues came as the managing director of ScotRail moved to apologise as travellers continued to lodge complaints about standards in the wake of the launch of the new winter timetable on Sunday.
The Edinburgh to Glasgow services at 3.45pm and 4pm were affected by the latest problem - causing issues for later rush hour trains which had to take up the slack. It later emerged that the 7pm service was also cancelled due to an unspecified separate fault en-route and ScotRail said it has "been taken to the checked".
In its publicity for the new timetable, ScotRail, the train operator run by Dutch transport company Abellio, had said its new electric and high-speed trains including the Class 385 stock would allow shorter journey times, more seats and more services on updated routes to build "the best railway Scotland has ever had".
ScotRail had declared its flagship rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow would see the fastest time cut to just 42 minutes - although on Monday that related to just one of over 170 services running from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
The train firm ordered 46 three-carriage and 24 four-carriage sets of the 385 trains from manufacturer Hitachi as part of its £475m investment in rolling stock and they were due to all be running in the central belt by early next year.
There are now 31 in service with 19 on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.
A ScotRail spokesman said: "One of the new trains developed a minor fault in one unit today. We were hopeful to put it back in to traffic this evening. I can confirm this has happened and it has been introduced into service and the 4.45pm train which was scheduled to be cancelled was able to run.
"No addition checks are required on the other class 385s. Crew are still getting used to the new trains and had to reset the on-board systems."
Before the timetable launch, increasing numbers were complaining to ScotRail that any improvements were coming at a cost to other travellers with fares increasing by an average of 2.8% next year.
At least one MSP, Mark Ruskell who represents mid-Scotland and Fife is seeking urgent talks with the transport secretary Michael Matheson over what he described as "a major cause for concern" over the timetable.
ScotRail managing director Alex Hynes said as issues travellers complained about the timetable issues which some customers have referred to as "a shambles": "Obviously we are sorry for any disruption customers have experienced.
"We've had a number of challenges - the late delivery of our Hitachi trains and the dispute we had with the RMT - confounded some of the preparation for our timetable.
"But I'm really pleased to see that both of those issues are now resolved and customers can continue to benefit from the more seats, the more services and the faster journeys right across the country.
"Changing the timetable on this scale throws up a number of challenges, but on balance this timetable is a huge benefit for the whole of Scotland because we deliver more seats, faster journeys and more services for our customers. "This is just the start, we continue to make those improvements next year."
More timetable changes are expected in May and December 2019.
⚡️ We're operating brand new seven carriage @HitachiRailEU #Class385 Express trains throughout the evening peak on our Edinburgh - Glasgow via Falkirk High route. Remember you can walk through the entire train if you're looking for a seat on board. pic.twitter.com/uCwnNtC8Ig
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) December 11, 2018
Great work from the @HitachiRailEU team in Scotland to get the #Class385 ready for service today supporting @ScotRail in delivering the new timetable. Well done all!! https://t.co/jhfKhwhYHM
— Keith Snell (@keithsnell996) December 10, 2018
@MathesonMichael are there any plans for the Scottish government to sort out the shambolic rail service provided by @ScotRail ? Currently standing on 1630 from Edinburgh to Glasgow after the cancellation of 1600. I've been affected by cancellations 4 times in the last week.
— Jaiket (@Jaiket) December 11, 2018
Why so many broken down trains on the premier Edinburgh to Glasgow line Scotrail?
— Gaz Nilsen (@gazdn1) December 11, 2018
These are supposed to be brand new trains!!!
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