THE introduction of ScotRail’s new Class 385 fleet was temporarily stopped after a driver reported a braking issue.
It was the second such issue for the fleet and comes on top of electrification delays, software problems and windscreen issues that have dogged the upgrading of Scotland’s trains and services.
In the first incident, believed to have happened during September, a train almost overshot Falkirk High, while on October 4 (see story opposite), a brake fault occurred near Newbridge Jct, which meant the train was not brought to a halt until Winchburgh Jct, and led to the line being blocked for a while with the unit being failed.
The following day all accepted sets were suspended from operation.
Both incidents are under full investigation, and unconfirmed reports indicate that in one incident with a four- and three-car set in multiple, the brakes in the rear three-car were isolated, with the four-car set performing all braking.
During the period Hitachi was investigating the fault, there were some cancellations and short formations on services.
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