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| A modern rail network in Scotland is long overdue | A modern rail network in Scotland is long overdue |
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| Barely six months into the job, Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf is under fire from opposition politicians and the public alike for the poor performance of Scotland’s creaking rail network. | Barely six months into the job, Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf is under fire from opposition politicians and the public alike for the poor performance of Scotland’s creaking rail network. |
| With winter setting in, punctuality has plummeted and improvements to the main Edinburgh-Glasgow express line, already scaled back at the request of SNP ministers, are behind schedule. | With winter setting in, punctuality has plummeted and improvements to the main Edinburgh-Glasgow express line, already scaled back at the request of SNP ministers, are behind schedule. |
| The express trains that roll past the Scottish parliament’s windows are, ironically, not Yousaf’s responsibility. Take an East Coast train from Waverley station 130 miles south to Newcastle and it will take 80 minutes. Take one of Scotrail’s own domestic intercity trains the same distance north to Aberdeen and you can add an hour to the journey. Edinburgh to Inverness, one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities, takes almost three and a half hours by train. | The express trains that roll past the Scottish parliament’s windows are, ironically, not Yousaf’s responsibility. Take an East Coast train from Waverley station 130 miles south to Newcastle and it will take 80 minutes. Take one of Scotrail’s own domestic intercity trains the same distance north to Aberdeen and you can add an hour to the journey. Edinburgh to Inverness, one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities, takes almost three and a half hours by train. |
| In its decade in government the SNP has overseen several rail projects begun by its Labour predecessor, but is yet to table any of its own. The Scottish government has pledged to spend £3bn on the main A9 from Perth to Inverness, but has no plans to improve the parallel rail infrastructure. | In its decade in government the SNP has overseen several rail projects begun by its Labour predecessor, but is yet to table any of its own. The Scottish government has pledged to spend £3bn on the main A9 from Perth to Inverness, but has no plans to improve the parallel rail infrastructure. |
| When current operator Abellio took over the Scotrail network last year, it promised a number of small-scale improvements, including refurbished intercity trains from England, free Wi-Fi and refurbished stations. Conspicuous by its absence was any commitment to large-scale investment in the rail network beyond these relatively small fixes. | When current operator Abellio took over the Scotrail network last year, it promised a number of small-scale improvements, including refurbished intercity trains from England, free Wi-Fi and refurbished stations. Conspicuous by its absence was any commitment to large-scale investment in the rail network beyond these relatively small fixes. |
| In the meantime, industry consortium the Rail Delivery Group expects growth of more than 100% in the three biggest Scottish cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen – over the next 20 years. | In the meantime, industry consortium the Rail Delivery Group expects growth of more than 100% in the three biggest Scottish cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen – over the next 20 years. |
| In days gone by the Granite City had its own high-speed rail line: as part of the race to the north between competing railway companies, the Caledonian railway company built a direct line from Perth to Montrose through the Angus town of Forfar, slashing journey times. The modern route along the coast from Edinburgh contains numerous 20 mile-an-hour speed limits, stretches of single track and Victorian bridges. | In days gone by the Granite City had its own high-speed rail line: as part of the race to the north between competing railway companies, the Caledonian railway company built a direct line from Perth to Montrose through the Angus town of Forfar, slashing journey times. The modern route along the coast from Edinburgh contains numerous 20 mile-an-hour speed limits, stretches of single track and Victorian bridges. |
| Richard Stiff, chief executive of Angus council, says investment in the East Coast mainline in England needs to be mirrored north of Edinburgh. “The line is a major business and social artery for the whole of the east coast – no less in Angus than anywhere else,” he says. Angus is part of a consortium of authorities pushing for improvements. In Scotland that would mean money coming from Holyrood rather than Westminster. | Richard Stiff, chief executive of Angus council, says investment in the East Coast mainline in England needs to be mirrored north of Edinburgh. “The line is a major business and social artery for the whole of the east coast – no less in Angus than anywhere else,” he says. Angus is part of a consortium of authorities pushing for improvements. In Scotland that would mean money coming from Holyrood rather than Westminster. |
| “We are looking for improved journey times, greater capacity and, at our smaller stations, more stopping trains,” says Stiff. “There are two particular infrastructure investments in the county that could make a big contribution to capacity and speed challenges on the line as a whole – a single track section at Usan south of Montrose and the old South Esk viaduct at Montrose itself. In the council’s view these improvements are needed sooner rather than later.” | “We are looking for improved journey times, greater capacity and, at our smaller stations, more stopping trains,” says Stiff. “There are two particular infrastructure investments in the county that could make a big contribution to capacity and speed challenges on the line as a whole – a single track section at Usan south of Montrose and the old South Esk viaduct at Montrose itself. In the council’s view these improvements are needed sooner rather than later.” |
| Beyond wanting to keep voters happy, another incentive for the Scottish government to make big leaps in rail travel are its elusive carbon targets. Later this year, a bill will go through parliament in Edinburgh binding Scotland to the tighter emissions levels agreed in Paris. In 2015, the committee on climate change, which keeps an eye on government performance, warned that Scotland was approaching a cliff if it did not make structural reforms to its energy use, including slashing transport emissions. | Beyond wanting to keep voters happy, another incentive for the Scottish government to make big leaps in rail travel are its elusive carbon targets. Later this year, a bill will go through parliament in Edinburgh binding Scotland to the tighter emissions levels agreed in Paris. In 2015, the committee on climate change, which keeps an eye on government performance, warned that Scotland was approaching a cliff if it did not make structural reforms to its energy use, including slashing transport emissions. |
| Claudia Beamish, Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman on climate change, believes cuts need to be deep and fast. “Transport is the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter and levels have only reduced by a pitiful 1.4% since 1990,” she says. “To make any progress the sustainable options must be more attractive, and there must be progressive steps towards electrification, integration with buses and cycling, and moving freight onto rail.” | Claudia Beamish, Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman on climate change, believes cuts need to be deep and fast. “Transport is the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter and levels have only reduced by a pitiful 1.4% since 1990,” she says. “To make any progress the sustainable options must be more attractive, and there must be progressive steps towards electrification, integration with buses and cycling, and moving freight onto rail.” |
| Three of the projects that could bring about serious shifts to sustainable transport are in Fife, in the heart of Scotland but lacking long-term investment. Reconnecting well-heeled St Andrews and the hard-up industrial towns of Leven and Methil could mean a half-hourly commuter service direct to Edinburgh, with express trains re-routed via a new higher speed line to Perth and on to Scotland’s northern cities. | Three of the projects that could bring about serious shifts to sustainable transport are in Fife, in the heart of Scotland but lacking long-term investment. Reconnecting well-heeled St Andrews and the hard-up industrial towns of Leven and Methil could mean a half-hourly commuter service direct to Edinburgh, with express trains re-routed via a new higher speed line to Perth and on to Scotland’s northern cities. |
| The main obstacle is government funding, according to local Green MSP Mark Ruskell. “The danger is we end up with a political beauty contest pitching one community’s needs against another due to the limited ambition of government to invest in rail compared to road,” he says. “I know of one group in Newburgh near Perth that resorted to applying to the National Lottery for funds. That’s no way to get a strategic low-carbon transport network.” | The main obstacle is government funding, according to local Green MSP Mark Ruskell. “The danger is we end up with a political beauty contest pitching one community’s needs against another due to the limited ambition of government to invest in rail compared to road,” he says. “I know of one group in Newburgh near Perth that resorted to applying to the National Lottery for funds. That’s no way to get a strategic low-carbon transport network.” |
| If the ambitious Yousaf wants to make his mark on Scotland, giving the country a modern rail network would not be a bad way to start. | If the ambitious Yousaf wants to make his mark on Scotland, giving the country a modern rail network would not be a bad way to start. |
| Dominic Hinde is a journalist and interdisciplinary environmental studies academic. | |
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