RAIL bosses are under fire over delays in transferring Britain’s most iconic modern trains to Scotland.

The Intercity 125 stock is being withdrawn from Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway services in favour of new Intercity Express Project Class 800 trains.

But a number of sets are being refurbished and introduced north of the border on trains between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.

The 40-year-old trains, which hold the speed record for passenger diesel workings, are still some of the most popular on the network, being famed for their smooth ride and comfortable seating.

They were due to begin Scottish working in May, but the first refurbished set only reached Scotland last week. They are now unlikely to enter service until next month.

Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes claimed the trains “should be heading to the junk yard.”

He said: “The units which will be arriving in Scotland will soon also need their locomotives overhauled as they have already clocked up loads of miles.

“It’s barmy that new toilets are being fitted but knackered diesel engines remain in place. You just couldn't make it up.”

Private operator ScotRail said new toilets were due to be fitted anyway and denied that the engines were worn out, noting that new ones had been fitted in 2006.

Mr Cortes continued: “Intercity 125 trains were a tremendous feat of engineering back in the 1970s. They served our railways extremely well.

“The lack of ambition by Scotland’s SNP government is galling. They should have insisted on new trains for these routes so that Scottish passenger can enjoy the 21^st century travel experience they deserve, rather than a ride on museum pieces.”

A ScotRail spokesman said: “These iconic trains will be available for customers later than planned because of challenges with the delivery schedule faced by our suppliers Angel Trains and Wabtec.

“We are working flat out to get the first upgraded train into service as soon as possible so we can transform how we connect customers across Scotland’s seven cities.”

Conrad Landin is the Morning Star’s Scotland Editor.