UK: ScotRail has formally begun the procurement of trainsets to replace the current fleet of 25 HST sets used on Inter7City services.
On behalf of Transport Scotland, the operator is seeking proposals for the supply of a single class of existing rolling stock to operate a minimum of 19 diagrams per day on services connecting Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Stirling, Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen.
There would be a rolling stock lease agreement including any refurbishment and enhancement work, and a technical support and spares supply agreement. The TSSSA may include additional maintenance and support during introduction and possibly some heavy maintenance.
Respondents must meet both requirements, although the contracts may be awarded to two different contracting entities through a joint venture or consortium.
The supplier will be required to refurbish the trains as needed before they enter passenger service. They must be ready to operate from December 2027, although the aim is to operate from December 2026. They will be required until at least 2035, and potentially to 2040 without further refurbishments.
On December 17 the Scottish government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said replacing the short-formation ex-British Rail IC125 diesel fleet aims to provide a ‘high quality, more consistent, reliable, comfortable, accessible and family-friendly experience for passengers’. This would encourage more people to choose to travel by train rather than by car, and also to ensure long-term reliability and reduce energy costs and emissions.
Requests to participate are to be submitted by January 28 2025, with invitations to tender to be issued on March 3 and tenders to be valid until March 31 2026.
