SCOTRAIL'S flagship new Class 385 trains caused further disruption for travellers during a third working day of train cancellations, overcrowded carriages and delays.
Dozens more train services were cancelled on Wednesday, again, mainly through continuing staff shortages caused by workers not ready for the implementation of the new winter timetable which was launched on Sunday.
At least two services between Edinburgh and Glasgow cancelled on Wednesday due after one of the new environmentally friendly Hitachi train was taken off line due to a door fault.
The cancellation to the 11.45am Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street affected the 2.45pm return journey and is believed to have affected hundreds of passengers.
2 carriages instead of 4 out of Glasgow for Dundee at rush hour! Don’t you just love @ScotRail pic.twitter.com/XhfkyE4yh0
— Iain Gulland (@IainGulland) December 12, 2018
Elsewhere there was further disruption after when three long distance Scottish services were cancelled after a ma died after being hit by a train on the rail line near Aberdeen.
It led to a around a dozen train cancellations which ran into Wednesday night, starting with the 4pm Aberdeen to Edinburgh, the 4.30pm Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street and the 4.47pm Montrose to Aberdeen trains. Other services including the 4.42 Glasgow to Aberdeen services terminated at Dundee.
Passengers were waiting for replacement buses.
@ScotRail this is genuinely getting ridiculous now. You need to sort this out! pic.twitter.com/IwQhXaJZpc
— stuart (@s_ditchfield) December 12, 2018
It comes a day after hundreds were affected through cancellations of three Edinburgh to Glasgow services after two of the new 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 on Tuesday with another biting the dust in the evening due to a separate unspecified fault.
The software issue was later resolved to allow Class 385 trains to run later.
The transport staff union TSSA Scotland said: "Every bad news story about ScotRail lately is down to poor planning at the very top. Abellio needs to be held accountable for their mismanagement of our railways."
In October, ScotRail were forced to withdraw the three Hitachi trains in service after an unspecified fault was identified having been introduced in July.
THIS is what happens when you yet AGAIN cancel a rush hour train @ScotRail. The next train - in this case 1823 EDB to Tweedbank is dangerously overcrowded. @MathesonMichael really needs to get a grip of this ongoing omnishambles #scotfail #bordersfailway pic.twitter.com/a3jSVwmf7T
— Scrumptious Scran (@scrummyscran) December 12, 2018
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 come a day after the managing director of ScotRail Alex Hynes moved to apologise for the chaos since the new winter timetable on Sunday. 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.
@ScotRail Got any working trains in The Lothians??? pic.twitter.com/QnBKkQeMcC
— Matthew McILwaine (@mattmcilwaine) December 12, 2018
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.
@ScotRail I thought these new trains would ease congestion? ScotRail seems to be turning into #tfl pic.twitter.com/3wcyy2gKEn
— Daniel Griffin (@bawbagdan) December 12, 2018
@scotrail
— NCR 🇮🇹 🏴 (@Gleann_lucha) December 12, 2018
Late every day. When do you feel any passenger will see the benefits of doubling the price of this fare?
It’s just a one minute timetabling swizz, to generate income, isn’t it? pic.twitter.com/rEsOaiTxHc
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