Major improvements will be seen on line in next five years Currently‘not up to scratch’
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson admitted East Kilbride’s rail services aren’t up to scratch during a visit to the town’s main station.
And following on from this he vowed that commuters in the town – who have long campaigned for electrification of the line as well as dualling – will see major improvements in ser vices the next four to five years.
It comes after Transport Scotland’s ‘Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan’ was l aunched l ast month with electrification of key routes at its core including a focus on the East Kilbride line.
The Scottish Government plan to decarbonise Scotland’s rail passenger services by 2035 - five years ahead of the UK target – and ground clearance and other preparatory works have begun on the line between the town and Glasgow.
Speaking to the News at East Kilbride s t at i on Mr Matheson admitted t he rail service in East Kilbride was “inadequate” to meet growing demand from passengers and the ambitious targets set by the Scottish Government.
“There is no doubt the existing station and service isn’t adequate for purpose and needs to be improved,” he said.
“Passenger ser vices overall need to be improved and this is why this is identified as one of the early projects we want to take forward in the next four to five years.”
As part of t he plans t here will be a s econd pl at f or m at East Kil br i de s t at i o n a nd a new t i c k e t i ng o f f i c e built i mproving t he exper i ence f or passengers.
And Mr Matheson said ambitious proposals to create a travel hub and Hairmyres with enhanced park and ride facilities was also a vital part of the overall transformation.
“The combination of projects at East Kilbride and Hairmyres will transform the services into Glasgow in the next four to five years and is part of a major investment by us,” he continued.
“We want to make sure the line is able to cope with ever growing demand for rail services on this route and these are ambitious plans to take forward for the benefit of those who make regular use of the service on this line.”
Mr Matheson added: “It is great to see that we are already moving ahead with the preparator y works here on the East Kilbride route, showing real commitment from all involved to work in partnership on bringing the action plan to fruition.
“I was al s o pleased t o meet with the engineers and graduates working on t hi s project which outl i nes our commitment to supporting jobs in the industry.
“I look for ward to returning here i n t he f uture t o see f urther si gns of progress.”
A l e x Hy n e s , manag i n g d i r e c t o r of Scotland’s Railway, s ai d: “We’re working hard alongside the Scottish Government to bring the benefits of electrification to communities across Scotland.
“The government has set an ambitious target to decarbonise our network by 2035 and projects such as this on the East Kilbride line will be key to delivering on that commitment.”
Nissar Mohammed, rail operations director BAM, said: “We are excited to have this opportunity to contribute further to the development of Scotland‘s railway network.
“We l o o k f o r wa r d t o d e l i v e r i n g attractive rail infrastructure that enhances the communities it ser ves and contributes positively towards a reliable, environmentally sustainable train service.”