Anybody with any experience of these trains, and any associated feedback ? Read that Scotrail are to replace their HST's with them towards the end of next year. Apparently being leased from East Midlands Railway. Going to be a sad day when the HSTs retire, akin to the last days of Concorde in many ways.
I’ve travelled on them quite a bit. From a passenger perspective I think they’re not as good as an HST, but they’re better than a Voyager. Obviously, unlike HSTs, they have under-floor engines, so they vibrate in a way a mark 3 doesn’t and are noisier. However, their seats are better than those on a Voyager, which makes them a bit less unpleasant. Mind you, I think Scotrail are replacing the seats, so you’ll have to see what you get. From a Driver’s perspective, they were quite well liked - powerful, with decent brakes. Certainly more powerful than the HST 2+8 formations they replaced on the MML, but probably comparable to the short formation HSTs used on Scotrail. Of course, they also have much more crash-worthy cabs than the HSTs, so I suspect Scotrail Drivers will be pleased with the change from that perspective too. Overall, I didn’t mind them too much to travel on. They’re not up there with a mark 3 or a 745, but they’re not terrible.
