ScotRail extends Hitachi maintenance contract for Class 385 fleet

ScotRail has announced a seven-year extension of its maintenance contract with Hitachi for the Class 385 electric commuter fleet.

This contract encompasses both heavy and light maintenance services aimed at enhancing the operational performance of the fleet. The extension is expected to increase the availability of electric trains.

The agreement will facilitate ongoing investments in infrastructure, personnel, and digital technologies, including the possible incorporation of Hitachi’s digital asset monitoring platform, HMAX, into the fleet.

The contract extension reinforces Hitachi’s role within ‘Team Scotland’, a collaborative initiative involving ScotRail, Transport Scotland, Network Rail, and Hitachi Rail.

Hitachi Rail UK and Ireland operations, service and maintenance senior director Angus Thom said: “This new contract strongly endorses Hitachi Rail’s maintenance capabilities.

“Our fleet is among the UK’s most reliable, thanks to our close and positive collaboration with ScotRail as part of ‘Team Scotland’. Together, we have delivered one of the best fleets in Britain.”

The Class 385 trains were manufactured at Hitachi Rail’s facility in County Durham, part of a £1.3bn ($1.66bn) investment in new trains and infrastructure supported by the Scottish Government and Network Rail.

ScotRail engineering director Magnus Conn said: “We are delighted to strengthen our successful partnership with Hitachi through this extended maintenance contract for our Class 385 fleet.”

Currently, the ScotRail Express fleet boasts a reliability rate that is 4.5 times higher than the UK industry average, with more than 50 units in operation, according to Hitachi.

Since the introduction of the Class 385 trains in 2019, passenger numbers on this route have risen by 2%.

In the 2024/25 period, Class 385 trains facilitated more than 7.5 million customer journeys between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Hitachi has invested “significantly” in Scotland’s railway infrastructure in recent years, including a £30m ($38.4m) refurbishment of the Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh, which is focused on enhancing workforce skills to maintain modern, digitally integrated trains.

Last month, Hitachi Rail unveiled its Hyper Mobility Asset EXpert (HMAX) platform at NVIDIA GTC 2025, aimed at enhancing predictive maintenance and optimising rail systems.

Developed with Hitachi Digital and NVIDIA, HMAX focuses on digital asset management.