Media centre

Thursday 10 Dec 2015

Passengers urged to have their say on future of Scotland’s railway

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is seeking the public’s view on its Scotland Route Study – a long-term plan looking at how Scotland’s railway could evolve over the next three decades.

Published today, the Scotland Route Study Draft for Consultation outlines expected growth in rail usage between 2019 and 2043 and potential choices to enhance the network to meet the future needs of passenger and freight traffic.

The newly-published study anticipates that strong growth will continue in Scotland – with Edinburgh commuter traffic increasing by 114 percent by 2043, Glasgow by 108 percent and Aberdeen by 151 percent.

The study has been developed by Network Rail – in partnership with the rail industry, regional transport partnerships and Transport Scotland – to identify value-for-money choices for railway funders to improve connectivity, capacity and resilience on the existing network.

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, a new partnership between Network Rail and Abellio ScotRail, said: “The railway in Scotland is carrying record levels of passengers with the number of people travelling on our network increasing by 85% over the last 20 years to 93m journeys a year.

“This resurgence in Scotland’s railway is in part due to the commitment to continuous improvement of the railway shown by successive Scottish governments’ as well as by the industry itself.

“The ongoing Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme and the recent opening of the Borders Railway demonstrate what can be achieved when the rail industry and funders work together collaboratively to enhance our railway.

“The purpose of this study is to enable the rail industry and its funders to continue to build in the decades ahead on the industry’s current success – and to do that we need to hear the views of our customers.”

Potential choices identified by the study, which will inform funding decisions for the period 2019 to 2029, include:

• East Coast Main Line– including options for four-tracking the line between Wallyford-Prestonpans
• Edinburgh Waverley platform extensions and enhancement of approaches to the station
• Lengthening services on the Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes
• Enhancing capacity at Glasgow Central
• Phased electrification to Aberdeen
• Electrification of East Kilbride/Barrhead and Kilmarnock/Barassie lines
• Remodelling Carstairs junction
• Remodelling Perth station
• Route enhancements to Inverness / Aberdeen / Far North.

The full study can be found on Network Rail’s website at:

www.networkrail.co.uk/long-term-planning-process/scotland-route-study/

This is the draft for consultation and the rail industry would welcome any views you may have on the work completed to date.

The closing date for responses is 10th March 2016. Responses will then be reviewed and the final Scotland Route Study published in summer 2016.

Responses should be sent to scotlandroutestudy@networkrail.co.uk or by post to:

Lead Strategic Planner

Scotland Route Study

Network Rail

151 St Vincent Street

Glasgow

G2 5NW