SCOTRAIL has announced plans to improve the reliability of the fleet of trains which serve Helensburgh Central.
The company is to fit sensors to each of the trains, which operate on the route to monitor the condition of their wheels and wheel bearings.
This, they hope, will make them more reliable and tackle one of the biggest bugbears of passengers on the route.
The wireless sensors provide readings to a centralised database, which pick up any deterioration in the wheels or bearings or any damage to the track, which could put safety at risk.
Three trains on the Helensburgh route were used in a trial of the sensors and software, and the equipment will be fitted to the remaining 37 trains in the fleet – known technically as ‘Class 334’ – over the rest of this year.
Angus Thom, the ScotRail Alliance’s fleet director, said: “Keeping our trains out on the tracks, delivering a safe and efficient rail service, is essential to our operation. “This technology helps our maintenance teams make informed and timely decisions around monitoring repairs and potential problems, so keeping our 334 fleet in optimal operating condition.”
The company’s latest performance statistics for the four-week period to April 29 saw 51.3 per cent of trains to Helensburgh Central reach their destination within 60 seconds of their scheduled arrival time, while 87.2 per cent arrived within five minutes.
Meanwhile, the introduction of wifi on to the Class 334 trains on the Helensburgh route is now complete.
ScotRail hopes to provide free wireless internet access on almost 90 per cent of its trains by the autumn of this year.
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