I don't think the 322s will be retired, but I think that if Scotrail can get rid of them and run the service with 334s and 318s they would consider it; although they have a slightly lower max speed, it keeps a more uniform fleet that's much cheaper. The 322s must be a royal pain, with those silly services to Glasgow thrice a day. It would, of course, depend on the timetables for North Berwick runs if this was possible. But FCC could definitely make use of the extra stock, and I'm sure other TOCs would argue that they could as well.
The tapering of the bodyside has a 313/314/315/507/508 look to it. (CUT) the builder might've designed this train with those routes in mind too. Those classes are all up for replacement fairly soon, so "another" type of train will be needed.
Personally, I think it look fabulous. I can't help feeling sometimes on here that if it doesn't look like a HST, it isn't worthy of the railway.
I think the extra 10mph is needed because they're running on the ECML for most of the route. I think the max linespeed on the sections it runs is only 110mph, but that's still 10mph above what the 322s capable of, so being a stopper that can only do 90mph could cause even more issues for the NXEC and XC services behind it.
The other thing with the 334s is that they're only 3 cars, compared to the 322's 4 cars. Having been in Waverley when the shuttle's been departing in the afternoons before, it can get pretty full with 4 cars, so I think there could be some issues if it were to go down to only 3.
Quite for what practical reason the front corridor is designed like that is beyond me :?

I think the speedo is a bit of a non-issue really all speedos have a higher marked speed than the train will actually go (14x/15x show 100mph on the speedo)


job done.How exactly are the corridor connections going to work being on such a slant?
How exactly are the corridor connections going to work being on such a slant?

They'll tilt forward; you can see the hinges at the bottom.
I've seen it in person today. All doubts I've had have now gone; I love this train!
The exterior is different looking, but I think it's quite striking! It differs from a typical train, though, so I imagine it'll draw a lot of criticism from that front. But I like it, and the livery looks fantastic on it!
Inside, however, is spectacular (for Scotrail, anyway!). Besides, it's what passengers care most about. The 2+2 seating is great in comparison to the 3+2 arrangement on the current 334s. The Scotrail reps on the mock-up said that people don't use the middle seat, so it was decided that the trains would be more comfortable with 2+2 seating. The laptop/phone plugs are a fantastic feature, and the tables for all passengers will be welcomed; 334s have not tables whatsoever! And there's good luggage space for Glasgow and Prestwick Airport passengers.
I'm looking forward to seeing these enter passenger service; and from what I've heard they've been getting positive reviews about the mock up. These look set to be a success! (Barring, of course, technical issues).
Surely, though, standard 350s (perhaps with a different seating arrangement- but that's hardly difficult/expensive) would have been a cheaper option? The sloping front isn't going to do much for aerodynamics, and 350s happily do 100mph. The new design seems to be just a case "being different" for the sake of doing it, not to any real purpose.
