ScotRail announces £4m train fleet overhaul

The trains will be painted in the Transport Scotland-designed Saltire livery

ScotRail has announced a £4m fleet refurbishment contract that will bring up to 20 jobs to Ayrshire.

The FirstGroup-owned rail operator said it had reached agreement with Railway Projects Limited in Derby for a major overhaul of 40 three-carriage trains.

Much of the work on the class 334 fleet will be sub-contracted to Kilmarnock-based Brodie Engineering.

The project will begin in November this year and is expected to take two years to complete.

ScotRail said the contract would trigger expansion plans for Brodie's rail vehicle overhaul facility and lead to a phased increase in employment in the Kilmarnock area.

Kenny Scott, engineering director of ScotRail, said the work involved a major overhaul of the class 334 fleet.

He added: "The seats will be recovered, new flooring laid and interior finishes upgraded.

"In addition the exterior will be painted in the Transport Scotland-designed Saltire livery that is gradually appearing on all ScotRail trains."

Class 334 trains operate primarily on the Helensburgh/Milngavie to Edinburgh via Airdrie and Bathgate line, which opened in December 2010.

The fleet was previously widely used in Ayrshire and Inverclyde, before the arrival of the new class 380 trains earlier this year.