SNP has known for months

SNP ministers knew of delays and spiralling costs on the flagship Edinburgh to Glasgow line for months before telling the public.

News that electrification work on Scotland’s busiest rail route was seven months behind schedule broke in July.

But it’s now been revealed Network Rail first flagged up delays, some of which were caused by overhead wires being installed at the wrong height, on the £742 million project as far back as February.

At the time, contractors thought they could make up the time and still hit the original deadline of this December.

But in Holyrood last week, ScotRail boss Phil Verster revealed an updated programme was “advised to the minister come March/April” which “looked very different to the one we thought in February would be achievable”.

Transport Scotland and ScotRail last night both insisted the seven-month delay was only confirmed on May 4.

But Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said commuters will want to know why it then took two months to share this information, and why the SNP manifesto boasted the electrification would be completed by December this year.

Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: “SNP ministers were advised of the delay before the election but said nothing, it looks right now like they planned to keep commuters in the dark for as long as possible and that simply isn’t good enough.”

Speaking to MSPs last week, Mr Verster said, “the programme which we then advised to the minister come March/April – that programme looked very different to the one we thought in February would be achievable and we started to share what we thought the cost estimates were.”

Finance secretary Derek Mackay was transport minister until May 18, when Humza Yousaf took over.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “In March Network Rail advised us of an eightweek delay to the EGIP electrification implementation programme, however at that point they maintained the entry into service date of December 2016 remained achievable.

“In early May, Network Rail told us that, based on their updated risk analysis, the entry into service date of December 2016 was unlikely to be met.

“The new Transport Minister was made aware of the emerging EGIP cost and programme on May 24 following his official appointment.”