I HAVE seen our rail future, and it’s not encouraging.

I travelled on an “upgraded” 158 earlier this week. The verdict bears out the truth of the old adage of not being able to make a silk purse class out of a sow’s ear.

First nasty shock was banging my thighs on the enlarged table as I squeezed into a window seat. Second was the reluctant resuming of n enforced game of kneesy with the passenger opposite. Third was the fact that my seat didn’t conform to the proud boast of Abellio ScotRail that seats are aligned the windows. Indeed, by no means all are.

These wretched 158s are of such poor basic design that to create necessary luggage space, several rakes of seats have had to be removed. And unloved hallmarks continue – noisy, constantly vibrating underfloor engines with equally noisy clunking plug doors.

May I courteously suggest that the only realistically useful future for these thoroughly risible trains is that they be transported to Dogger Bank, there to form artificial reefs to help increase North Sea fishing stocks?

Gordon Casely,

Westerton Cottage, Crathes, Kincardineshire.