ANOTHER councillor has said he will raise the issue of freezing trains on a railway line serving parts of Argyll and Bute at a national level.
Councillor Andrew Vennard (Conservative, Oban North and Lorn) met with ScotRail officials in December 2024 regarding train services on the West Highland Line.
A note of that meeting states that as of December 2024, the class 156 stock of trains was expected to continue serving the line for another four to five years.
The issue has grown after a pensioner reportedly collapsed after travelling from Oban to Crianlarich in very cold conditions on a West Highland line train.
Services on the line, which runs from Oban and Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street via parts of Argyll and Bute, have been dubbed ‘The Polar Express’.
Councillors John Armour (SNP, South Kintyre) and Iain S Paterson (SNP, Lomond North) have already said they will raise the matter at national level. Councillor Armour is Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for transport.
Councillor Vennard told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I confirm that the issue with the heating on the trains is a matter that I would be intending to continue to raise with ScotRail.
“Any significant improvement in the heating of the trains would require a change in the rolling stock, as I understand that any modifications which can be made to the existing rolling stock are relatively limited in the improvements which they could achieve.”
A note from Councillor Vennard’s December 2024 meeting stated: “I queried what were the plans for the rolling stock in the coming years, as it was noted that the current rolling stock of class 156 units is now around 35 years old.
“It was explained that the current class 156 units are likely to remain in service for the next four to five years.
“It was explained that in due course, it was likely that rolling stock will be transferred to the West Highland Line from other lines when that rolling stock became available.
“It was noted that Transport Scotland has a plan to de-carbonise the rail network by 2035, and that this will involve extending the electrification of the network.
“As this process proceeds, this will mean that existing Diesel Multiple Units (DMU)s that currently serve on other lines would become available to the West Highland Line.
“These are likely to be the class 158 and class 170 units. The class 158 units operate in pairs of two carriages, whereas the class 170 units operate in sets of three carriages.
“It was explained that because the West Highland line involves a train splitting into two and because of the length of the platforms, that generally rolling stock that operates in pairs of
two carriages are the most suitable for the West Highland line, and so it was thought that the class 158 units were the most likely to be the rolling stock that would be transferred.
“Any decision about the rolling stock was a matter that required approval of the Scottish ministers, and involves other appraisals and processes, as well as input from organisations such as HITRANS, and so it was not possible to be more specific at this time.”
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We’re committed to delivering long-term improvements across Scotland’s Railway, and over the next 15 years we’ll replace around two-thirds of ScotRail’s fleet.
“This investment will mean better on-board facilities, more comfortable journeys, and greater reliability for our customers.”
