PLANS to decarbonise Scotland’s passenger railways have hit the buffers as the Scottish government pushed the target back another decade.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has told MSPs that diesel trains had been scheduled to leave ScotRail service by 2035 but are now expected to remain until 2045.

The target had formed a key part of the Scottish government’s greenhouse gas emissions projections earlier this year, and the latest admission is a further blow to an administration still reeling from being forced in April to abandon its plan to slash emissions by 75 per cent by 2030.

In a written answer at Holyrood, Ms Hyslop announced that the procurement process to replace 25 diesel high-speed trains (HST) was now underway after union pressure to remove the ageing carriages from service following the Stonehaven rail crash in 2020.

But calling the wider decarbonisation programme “dynamic,” she added: “The original target date of 2035 for complete removal of diesel passenger trains from the Scottish network can no longer be met, due to constrained budgets and logistical requirements impacting adversely on the delivery programme.

“The physical delivery of electrification works needs to be staged to reduce the impact on passengers as much as is practicable.

“Undertaking too much disruptive engineering work across the network at the same time would have significant farebox revenue impacts and would significantly diminish the attractiveness of rail travel for the public.

“The revised [decarbonisation plan] will demonstrate phased full decarbonisation by 2045.”

Scottish Labour’s Claire Baker said: “Scotland’s long-suffering rail passengers will be disappointed to hear they will have to wait an extra decade for the modern rail services they were promised.

“This appears to be yet another example of this shambolic SNP government setting a target to get the headlines but making no serious attempt to meet it and deliver for Scotland.

“The SNP must get its act together and set out a real plan to upgrade Scotland’s archaic rail infrastructure and deliver the green, reliable rail service passengers deserve.”

Aslef union Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay welcomed the replacement of the HST fleet, but he added: “Pushing back the full replacement of all diesel trains until 2045 takes some of the shine off this announcement.

“Scotland has a responsibility to meet its own climate targets and pushing back full electrification and decarbonisation for another 21 years feels like the Scottish government is dodging its environmental responsibilities.”