PASSENGERS have been invited to step inside a life-size replica of the latest trains set to join the ScotRail fleet.

A model showing the internal layout of the new Hitachi Class 38 has been unveiled at Edinburgh Waverley, where it will remain on display to the public until March 4.

The model showcases a standard and first class saloon, with some of the actual seating and tables that will be used in the trains when they are introduced from autumn 2017.

Scotland will be the first country in the world to start running passenger services using the Japanese brand's latest rolling stock.

The Hitachi Class 38's will operate on routes in the Central Belt, with passengers travelling on the flagship Edinburgh-Glasgow commuter shuttle the first to benefit.

The new trains – 70 in total - are the most significant enhancement in a £475 million train improvement programme being completed under the current Abellio ScotRail franchise. It will also see 90 per cent of Scotland’s fleet either new or refurbished.

The new electric vehicles will offer thousands of extra seats, faster journeys, improved accessibility, at-seat power points and better wifi. The deal is worth £370 million and gives the Scottish Government the option to buy the full fleet for £1 after 25 years.

Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, said: “These brand new 100mph electric trains are being custom made for Scotland’s railways. They will be larger, faster and greener and will allow passengers to travel in greater comfort than ever before when they are rolled out across central belt routes later next year. Once fully in service, there will be more ScotRail trains on the network than ever before."

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, added: “This model gives our customers a glimpse into a future that, by next autumn, will be a reality."