Media centre

Friday 16 Oct 2009

PLANNING PERMISSION SOUGHT FOR GOGAR INTERCHANGE

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail has submitted plans for the new interchange station at Gogar to the City of Edinburgh Council planning authority following a wide-ranging pre-application consultation into the proposed interchange facility.

The Transport Scotland funded project comprises the creation of a new rail station on the Edinburgh to Fife lines in the Gogar area, connecting to a new tram stop on the Edinburgh Tram network for onward passenger transfer to Edinburgh Airport.

During the pre-application consultation, which included three public exhibitions in Edinburgh and one in Fife, there was clear public support for the proposal and investment. With input from the public and special interest groups, a number of changes to the early design proposals have been incorporated.                                   

These include:  

• Revision of the train-tram interchange arrangement to offer shorter passenger connections 
• Increased bus interchange and layover facilities and suitable car parking and drop-off provisions
• Provision of secure, covered cycle parking for a maximum of 100 cycles, including weather protection facilities
• Larger lifts to transfer prams and cycles
• Enhancements to the station access under the A8 (Glasgow Road) serving the Edinburgh Park area

Ron McAulay, Network Rail director, Scotland said:
“The proposed interchange at Gogar will provide a crucial transport link for Edinburgh Airport and the west Edinburgh and central Scotland area over the next few years.

“Our consultation process has provided us with some important issues to consider and we have incorporated a great deal of those comments into our final design proposals. We believe that the end result is a striking yet practical design.  We would like to thank all those individuals and organisations who took part in the consultation.” 

Scottish Government Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson said:
“The proposed new station at Gogar is part of a wider £1 billion package of rail investment in Central Scotland to improve connections between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“We look forward to this Edinburgh Glasgow Improvements Programme providing significant new public transport opportunities, helping generate economic benefits and making it easier for significant numbers of people to make the switch to a more sustainable mode of transport.”

The new interchange facility,  part of a £1bn programme of investment in the railways between Edinburgh and Glasgow, is funded by Transport Scotland and financed and delivered by Network Rail as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvements Programme which increase connectivity between Scotland’s two main cities and their surrounding towns as well as improving service levels and reducing journey times

Network Rail’s pre-application consultation is a requirement of the National Planning Framework process. The interchange facility is the first major infrastructure project to be progressed through the National Planning Framework.  

The full planning application, including supporting documentation and plans, are available to view on the City of Edinburgh’s website.  

Subject to securing planning permission, Network Rail will be on site during the second quarter of 2010, with the construction of the new interchange station planned for completion by September 2011.

To view designs of the interchange, visit: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/gogar