An extra £3 million of funding for railways will be spent on improving passenger facilities and increasing accessibility on board trains and in stations, Transport Scotland has announced.
The cash was awarded through the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government earlier this month.
Transport minister Humza Yousaf said the investment will help towards “improving accessibility and passenger experience across the rail network”.
“It complements the overall £5 billion investment that the Scottish Government is making in Scotland’s railways to 2019 and will mean more people will be able to take the train in greater comfort than ever before,” he said.
The £3 million will be spent on upgrading wifi and installing tables in wheelchair areas on new Class 385 trains to be introduced from autumn 2017 and on upgraded air conditioning systems across Class 158 trains, which serve scenic routes.
The funding will also be used for a new ticket office at Blairhill station in North Lanarkshire and to install ticket machines at the 10 busiest stations yet to have one.
Additional passenger counting equipment will be installed on trains across the ScotRail fleet to help target overcrowding on trains.
ScotRail’s managing director Phil Verster said: “This investment in improving rail facilities – both on-train and around our stations – is what makes customer experience all the more positive.
“All of these improvements show we’re committed to making their rail travel enjoyable and efficient.”
