HSTs in Fife, February - March 2026

It is now announced that Class 222s are coming to Scotland, with changeover starting in later 2027, and full introduction in 2028, some eight years after introduction of the Inter7City HST service.

43181 1A79 09:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, Aberdour, 13th February.


43177 on the rear of this working.


43127 leading 1B74 09:05 Aberdeen - Edinburgh at Aberdour on 13th.


43139 on the rear.


43134 Gordon Aikman at Aberdour with 1A79 09:30 Edinburgh - Dundee, 16th February. There was an engineering possession for trackwork at Aberdeen, running through this Monday.

43143 on the rear of this working.

43169 at Dalgety Bay with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 25th February.

43148 coming downhill from Dalgety Summit, 1B74 09:05 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 26th February.

43125 on the rear.

43132 passing near Dalgety with 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 28th February.

ScotRail Inter7City, May 2025

 

43133 passing Aberdour with 1A75 07:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, 9th May.


43031 at Aberdour with 1B68 05:57 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 9th May.


43177 approaching Dalgety Bay with 1B78 11:01 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 9th May.

43149 at Aberdour with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 15th May.

43126 at Aberdour  with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 20th May.


43032 at Aberdour with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 26th May.

43032 at Inverkeithing with 1B88 16:04 Aberdeen to Edinburgh, 27th May.


43035 near Dalgety with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 30th May.

1B80 is dominant here, since it passes close to the time when the northbound 'Royal Scotsman' is expected.

ScotRail Inter7City, February - March 2025

 

43131 (+ set HA12 + 43028) 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, Aberdour, 24th February.

43021 (+ set HA21 + 43134) 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, Aberdour, 25th February. 43021 was involved in a fire while crossing the Tay Bridge, three days later, on 28th February, recovered to Haymarket under its own power on 5th March.

43142 (+ HA03 + 43127) 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, at Aberdour, 1st March.

43033 (+ HA20 + 43163) 1A79 09:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, at Dalgety Bay, 5th March.

43032 (+HA13 + 43149) 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, Aberdour, 11th March.

Edinburgh, 16th January 2025

 

800108 1W02 07:08 Leeds -Aberdeen.


800113 arrives with 1E11 07:52 Aberdeen - Kings Cross.


800113 departs into the Calton Hill tunnels.


801220 is prepared for 1E12 11:00 Edinburgh - Kings Cross.


Another view of 801220 with Lumo 803001 to depart later as 1E84 11:24 Edinburgh - Kings Cross.


801228 CENTURY 1E17 13:30 Edinburgh - Kings Cross.


43031 HA10 (+43003) had arrived with 1B78 11:01 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, leaving as 5B24 13:41 Edinburgh - Haymarket Depot, later working1A87 15:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen

43031 in platform 16, ready to work 1H17 13:32 Edinburgh - Inverness.

43152 at the other end of this train, with 40611 of set HA11.

Another view of 43031 as the Inter7City working departs.

HSTs while passing Haymarket, Edinburgh, 16th January 2025

 HST maintenance sights, which may no longer be seen in a couple of years.

43127 (May 1979) at the east end, still attached to set HA03, which it had recently been in traffic with.


TS 42143 of set HA03.

43181 (December 1981) appeared to be at the completion of maintenance, sporting clean bogies.

Finally 43032 (October 1976).

ScotRail Inter7City, December 2024

We can now anticipate that the ScotRail HST run-down will be in 2026 - 2027. There were further critical sentiments from RAIB in their Broughty Ferry report.

A low sun shines across 43142 and set HA08 (+ 43168) with 1B74 09:05 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, at Aberdour, 19th December.


43127 and set HA03 (+ 43034) with 1A81 11:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, Aberdour, 19th December.

The same set, led by 43034, at Dalgety on 20th December, with 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh.

43149 and set HA18  (+ 43132) HA18 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, Aberdour, 21st December.

43033 and set HA09 (+ 43163) 1B74 09:05 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, at the former Donibristle Halt, 23rd December.

43183 and set HA08 (+ 43138) 1A81 11:30 Edinburgh -Aberdeen, approaching Dalgety Bay station, 27th December.

43151 and set HA15 (+ 43137) 1B82 13:11 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, passing Aberdour, 27th December.

43139 and set HA07 (+ 43169) passing Aberdour with 1A79 09:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, 30th August.

ScotRail Inter7City HSTs, October - November 2024

On the cusp of change, expected within the next two years or so, where the EMR Meridian sets seem to be prime candidates to make an early replacement of  the ScotRail Inter7city HSTs. An analysis in the last week of October showed that only 9 or 10 sets were out daily, out of 25. It may be that ScotRail prefers to use lower running cost Class 170 sets on days of lower passenger demand.

43181 (+ 43125) at Aberdour, 1B82 13:09 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 22nd October.


Followed later by 43163 (+ 43144) with 1B84 13:59 Aberdeen - Edinburgh.


At Dalgety, on 30th October, 43132 (+ 43036) with 1A77 08:31 Edinburgh - Aberdeen.

In the other direction 43128 (+ 43179) are passing the site of Donibristle Halt with 1B70 04:54 Inverness - Aberdeen - Edinburgh

43128 was a 'hangar queen' and only entered traffic with ScotRail for the first time on 14th September 2024, following a visit to UKRL at Loughborough.

43036 (+ 43132) with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, at Aberdour, 31st October.

43124 (+ 43127) leading 1B82 13:09 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, at Aberdour, 31st October.

43139 (+ 43169) 1B78 11:01 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, approaching Dalgety Bay, 2nd November.


Autumn continues at Aberdour, 43182 (+ 43183) 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 5th November.