6 December 2012
Borders Railway progress welcome
... but Central Belt rail plans remain in flux
There have been a number of significant developments in Scottish railway policy in recent weeks. On 6 November, we were pleased to welcome the signing of contracts for the Borders Railway. Transform Scotland’s rail campaigner Paul Tetlaw commented: "Network Rail have progressed this matter speedily since they were eventually given responsibility for the project. We now look forward to new through trains from the Borders to the heart of Edinburgh which this will open up a whole new range of journey opportunities for people in the Borders and for tourists wishing to visit the Borders."
We were less pleased by the Scottish Government’s approach to new investment on the Edinburgh-Glasgow route. Back in July, the Government slashed the ‘EGIP’ Central Belt electrification programme.
Instead we have been promised a ‘high-speed rail’ route, but with no details over funding, route or delivery mechanism. Essentially, what we have gone from is a project (EGIP) that would have delivered a 35-minute journey time by 2016, we might now have a 30-minute journey, and maybe by 2024.
Sense is perhaps beginning to prevail on EGIP. Today’s statement on the ScotRail refranchising process contains a commitment to reinstating the rail electrification plans for Stirling-Alloa-Dunblane, albeit by 2019 rather than 2016 as previously scheduled.
With this week’s UK Government’s Autumn Statement decision that Scotland will receive an extra £394m for infrastructure investment, the Scottish Government could, if it so wished, decide to reinstate the full EGIP project.
Some progress in delivering the whole of EGIP is welcome. Now we need to see the Government bring forward improvements to the Highland Main Line and the Aberdeen-Inverness Line, highlighted in the Strategic Transport Projects Review as key priorities, but for which investment has been long stalled.