Hitachi Rail marks decade of operations in Scotland

Hitachi Rail is celebrating ten years of operations in Scotland, highlighting a decade of investment in trains, infrastructure and digital maintenance that has helped improve reliability and significantly cut carbon emissions.

Since entering the Scottish rail market in 2016, the company has worked alongside ScotRail, Transport Scotland and Network Rail as part of what it calls “Team Scotland”, delivering new rolling stock, modern maintenance systems and skills investment across the network.

One of the most visible elements of that partnership has been the introduction of the Class 385 fleet for ScotRail and the Azuma trains used on the East Coast Main Line by LNER. Both fleets were built in the UK and have played a major role in improving connectivity and performance across Scotland.

The Class 385 trains operating on the busy Glasgow–Edinburgh corridor are among the best-performing suburban fleets in the UK. According to Hitachi Rail, they are currently four times more reliable than the UK industry average for fleets of more than 50 units.

In 2024–25 alone, around 7.8 million passenger journeys were made on Class 385 services between Edinburgh and Glasgow – a five per cent increase compared with the previous year. As fully electric trains, they have also helped cut carbon emissions on the route by around 82 per cent compared with the diesel units they replaced.

Investment in skills and infrastructure

Hitachi Rail says its investment in Scotland extends beyond rolling stock. Over the past decade it has invested in people, facilities and digital technologies, including a £30 million upgrade of the historic Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh.

The 122-year-old site now supports maintenance of six different train fleets and employs around 300 highly skilled staff based at Craigentinny and the company’s Glasgow headquarters. The workforce has also been trained in digital maintenance systems, establishing the depot as a key hub for Hitachi’s UK digital maintenance capability.

Alongside operational investment, the company is also supporting education initiatives to encourage the next generation of rail engineers. Through the Powering Futures programme, Hitachi volunteers work with students at Portobello High School on STEM learning and real-world problem solving. The company is also delivering rail safety education in local schools through the Rail Safe Friendly programme.

Future innovation and long-term partnership

Hitachi Rail’s maintenance contracts for the Class 385 fleet have been extended into the 2030s, giving the company long-term certainty to explore new technologies and innovations.

These include deeper integration of its AI-enabled asset management platform, HMAX, as well as battery-powered rail solutions aimed at supporting further decarbonisation and encouraging modal shift.

Kelly Warburton, UK Sales Director at Hitachi Rail, said: “For a decade, Hitachi Rail has been proud to support Scotland’s railway, investing in new technology and working hand-in-hand with ScotRail, Network Rail and Transport Scotland to help make the Class 385s one of Britain’s most reliable fleets.

“Our long-term partnership means we never stop asking what’s next for Scotland’s railways. We are excited about the new battery and digital solutions we have been developing, which can help deliver even greater reliability, resilience and greener travel choices for passengers across Scotland.”

Warburton is set to outline the company’s future plans at the Rail Scotland Conference in Edinburgh on 5 March.

Wider investment across Scotland

Hitachi Rail’s activities in Scotland are supported by long-term investment from Agility Trains, which has funded infrastructure upgrades at key depots in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness to support high-speed intercity operations.

The wider Hitachi Group also continues to invest in Scotland’s energy and mobility sectors. Hitachi Energy is currently involved in several major projects connecting more than 4GW of capacity to the national grid, while a new £3 million Engineering Centre of Excellence in Glasgow is expected to create around 90 specialist roles focused on modernising the UK’s energy network.

Across Scotland today, Hitachi technology supports the daily operation of 159 trains and around 150 electric buses, reflecting the company’s growing role in delivering cleaner and more resilient transport systems.