Nicola Sturgeon intervenes in bid to for fleet of new high speed trains for Scotland.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said the First Minister had become involved in talks with the Japanese manufacturing giants after the introduction of the new 385 trains was hit by delays.

The faster new electric trains are due to run on the flagship Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street service - with Mr Yousaf also saying he was "not happy'' that costs for the improvement works on the line had risen from #742 million to #858 million.

He complained about the "enormous cost rises across rail projects'', citing the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme as one of these.

The improvements should cut journey times on the busy route to 42 minutes, but Mr Yousaf told MSPs on Holyrood's Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee that delays by Hitachi had impacted on the work - saying some of the issues with the new trains were just not acceptable''.

The Japanese firm is manufacturing the new trains at its Newton Aycliffe plant in the north east of England, but ScotRail managing director Alex Hynes last week told the committee there were problems with the windscreens.

The Transport Minister said: "Really the delay has been in the manufacturing, so Hitachi is the manufacturer. They have apologised repeatedly, not just to me but also to the First Minister actually for the faults they have had.

"You have to have some understanding, and I do, that it is a new plant in Newton Aycliffe, there is a new workforce in Newton Aycliffe, etc etc.

"But even with that - for a company of the global footprint of Hitachi, to have some of the most basic problems they have had around supply chain, for example, for me are just not acceptable.''

He made clear he was "not satisfied'' but stressed he "wouldn't put the blame squarely on ScotRail'' - pointing out the rail operator has had to lease new rolling stock as a stop gap'' measure.

The minister said: "It is a disappointing position we're in, but from a government point of view I can give you and every committee member every reassurance that we are pushing Hitachi, not just myself but from the First Minister herself intervening on a number of occasions to get the message across that we expect them to deliver on their promises.''

While he still anticipates journey times between Scotland's two main cities would fall to 42 minutes from December this year, Mr Yousaf told MSPs travel times on the route were already being cut.

He stated that about a third (30%) of services were already electric, and added: There are some services at the moment on those electric services that are achieving 44 minute journey times, so we're not far off 42 minutes.'