Passengers using the Caledonian Sleeper service between the Highlands and London could be forgiven for imagining they have stepped back in time.
Some will be surprised to discover that, although they have paid the 2016 price for their ticket, they are ending up travelling in carriages from a bygone age.
The ancient rolling stock with faded paintwork in different liveries was spotted at Fort William railway station.
And Serco, which operates the service, has confirmed they are about 40 years old.
Caledonian Sleeper production director David Simpson said: “These carriages are being hired from another operator while we carry out overhauls on our own fleet.
“All these carriages date from the mid-1970s.
“We expect to stop using them towards the end of the year when the improvements to our own fleet are complete.”
He claimed that, although the borrowed carriages had a different paint finish, they were the same age and of the same standard as the rest of the rolling stock which is currently in use.
This was inherited when Serco took over the service at the end of March last year.
Mr Simpson said the borrowed carriages were subject to the same stringent maintenance regime as the rest of the company’s fleet.
But he stressed that they were only being used as day coaches on the Edinburgh to Fort William route and did not go south to Euston in London.
He added that the introduction of new carriages was now only about two years away.
The new fleet, representing an investment of over £100million, including a £60million capital grant from Scottish Ministers, is expected to be introduced by the summer of 2018.
Significant improvements include en-suite berths, and a brasserie-style Club Car.
Customers will also benefit from being able to book through a new website with a much broader range of fares, earlier boarding of trains, and many other new service features.
One of Scotland’s leading interior designers Edinburgh-based Ian Smith Design has been appointed to manage the design remit for the new Caledonian Sleeper fleet.
His design team was responsible for working with Serco to design the interior refurbishment of the Guest Service Centre in Inverness, which opened in January 2015.
