SCOTRAIL are set to roll out trains that are so old, the engine has been displayed in a museum.

In 2018, a fleet of 40-year-old diesel high-speed engines are due to start operating - but they will be the oldest trains in ScotRail’s stock.

Great Western Railway in England currently use the InterCity 125 however this is being replaced with electric stock.

The National Railway Museum in York in October put one of the first models ever made on display for its 40th anniversary.

In 2018, 26 InterCity 125 trains will come into service on Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness routes.  The trains were first introduced in 1976.

When Dutch operators Abellio were awarded the contract to run Scotland’s trains, Scottish ministers promised a “rail revolution”.

However, they risk being stripped of their 10-year, £7billion contract if cancellations and delays worsen. 

Gordon Martin, Scottish organiser of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, told the Sunday Mail: "Bringing in 40-year-old rolling stock may be a short-term solution.

"But at a time when maintenance fitter jobs are being cut, it’s a potential recipe for disaster if they’re not maintained to the proper standard."

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said services on the routes had been in desperate need of an upgrade for years.

He said: "I hope these refurbished trains provide that necessary improvement. But many passengers are demanding improvements within weeks, not months."