HSTs to continue on West Country services?

[SouthDevonian]

I listened to part of the Jeremy Vine Radio 2 programme yesterday (4/5/15) on phasing out of the HSTs. Although there was no mention that some will be going to Scotland, someone contacted the programme to say that a number will be retained for services to the West Country. Can anyone advise if this is true or not as my understanding is that the Hitachi bimodes would replace all the current HSTs on the Devon & Cornwall services?

Incidentally, what will happen to Laira & St Phillips Marsh depots when the HSTs go? Retained to service only DMUs?

 

[swt_passenger]

The proposed additional Hitachi order (probably AT300s) has not yet been confirmed, and the alternative is HST life extension - so the caller to R2 is perhaps half right, or just not aware of the most recent news, which is being discussed here:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=113711

There's also a thread already running about the future of Laira depot:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=114656&highlight=laira

 

[SouthDevonian]

Thanks SWT_Passenger for cross refs to previous threads. One factor against Laira is the isolation caused when the Dawlish sea wall is breached as happened last year or when there are floods at Exeter or Somerset.