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The analysis on the potential for further rail reopenings ( RAIL 843) highlights what is all-too-apparent to those keeping a close eye on expansion of Scotland’s railway network: expansion stopped for the foreseeable future with the opening of the Borders railway to Tweedbank.
2007’s change of government at Holyrood was followed almost immediately by the cancellation of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link. Cancellation of its Glasgow counterpart was not far behind. Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine, Airdrie-Bathgate and the Borders Railway survived the cull, although the latter only after some cost-cutting measures - with long-lasting consequences for capacity and future development.
Of course, since 2007 there have also been two referendums, a global financial crisis and a decade of austerity, but the Government has still found time and money for major road improvement projects too numerous to list that have done nothing to reduce congestion. In contrast, nothing said by any transport minister since 2007 has given much encouragement to those seeking to further grow the railway network.
The 2010 Scott-Wilson STAG Appraisal Report for SESTRANS, Clackmannan and Fife Councils established a positive business case for extension from Alloa either to Dunfermline or to Edinburgh, via a new chord at Charleston Junction.
The business case may have changed due to factors such as construction industry inflation and electrification, but the potential benefits have also increased.
However, the project is back at square one, to be considered by the Longannet Task Force set up in the wake of the power station’s closure, and it is not clear whether they will even have funding to revamp the STAG report.
Besides Alloa-Dunfermline, within Fife alone there are the Levenmouth and St Andrews reopening campaigns, plus suggestion of an Edinburgh-Perth direct route via Kinross to reduce journey time. All have the potential benefit of better public transport access to Edinburgh, where road congestion is getting worse by the day.
However, the railway west of Edinburgh is also congested. Lack of train paths from Haymarket has been an obstacle to reopening of the Edinburgh South Suburban Circle to passenger trains, so what can be done to accommodate the Fife reopenings?
Cut one Dunblane-StirlingFalkirk-Edinburgh service per hour to be replaced by a GlasgowStirling-Alloa-Rosyth-Edinburgh service?
Such decisions affect the whole Central Belt of Scotland, and are national strategic decisions. The current process where local councils promote individual projects via the STAG Appraisal route cannot address such issues, and is not fit for purpose.
The Scottish Government is accountable and needs to take steps to devise a strategic masterplan for expansion of the Scottish railway network. Otherwise there will be no more reopenings and our economy will stagnate, choked in traffic jams trying to get in and out of our major cities/employment centres.