Edinburgh (TAN): ScotRail will add 20,000 more seats every day on its network from May 19, taking the total number of weekday seats for customers to 625,000.
In a statement, the Scottish rail operator said it would introduce more high-speed trains and brand-new class 385 electric trains.
“We are now providing 115,000 extra seats every day since the start of the franchise, and everyone across the ScotRail Alliance is working hard to deliver the service that our customers expect and deserve,” ScotRail Alliance MD Alex Hynes said.
[ALSO READ: A peek into Chinese culture in Perth]
Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, said: “This Scottish Government wants rail to continue to grow, making it an attractive alternative to the car.”
The completion of the electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts line provides even more improvements with a new hourly service at Breich, and more than 3,500 extra seats on weekdays.
The rail operator will also withdraw more class 314s from service as part of the continuing process of delivering a better standard of service for customers.
[ALSO READ: Antarctica tour operators take action to prevent whale strikes]
Some of the other improvements include:
Glasgow to East Kilbride: the first phase of enhancements on the route with more peak services operating with six carriages, providing more than 1,000 additional seats on weekday services.
Glasgow to Barrhead: strengthening of some services to four carriages during peak periods and an additional 3,000 seats on weekdays.
West Highland Line: Additional services added to the West Highland Line on Sundays through the winter period between Glasgow, Fort William and Mallaig.
Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts: Almost all services operated with electric trains, providing an extra 3,500 seats on weekdays.
Glasgow to Lanark: The introduction of brand-new class 385 electric trains providing more comfortable journeys on the majority of services.
Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High: More 42-minute journeys and an average journey time of just 47 minutes on weekdays.
Edinburgh to Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane: All services will be operated by brand-new class 385 electric trains, with faster journey times and 1,500 extra weekday seats.
Glasgow to Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane: All services will be operated by brand-new class 385 electric trains, with faster journey times and 4,000 extra weekday seats.
