U-turn on dual track is ‘beyond disappointing’
A Labour MSP has slammed the Scottish Government for steaming ahead with downgraded plans for the single-track electrification of East Kilbride’s rail line.
Central Scotland MSP Monica Lennon raised the issue in Holyrood this week as the town celebrates its 75th anniversary of being a new town.
Politicians from across the party divide rallied against the ditching of long called for plans to both dual and electrify the line between East Kilbride and Busby, which was previously announced as part of the government’s Decarbonisation Action Plan.
A sudden announcement in October of a U-turn on track dualling came via Transport Scotland – despite Michael Matheson in his then capacity of Transport Secretary admitting during a visit to East Kilbride in 2020 that the town’s rail services weren’t “up to scratch”.
And previous Minister from Transport, Graeme Dey, said during a debate in the Scottish Parliament at the end of last year that while dualling the line had been “considered” in the business case development process, the cost was “prohibitive” and did not offer value for money or “represent the best use of scarce public finance resources”.
He argued the line will have greater resilience through improvements to signalling and the addition of new ‘loops’ but refused to admit that the Scottish Government had broken its promise to residents.
Last week Ms Lennon raised the issue with Tom Arthur, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, during portfolio questions in the chamber.
Ms Lennon said: “This is an issue that residents in East Kilbride feel strongly about, and I felt it was only right to raise it again in Parliament as the town celebrates its 75th anniversary.
“East Kilbride is Scotland’s largest town – yet it is served only by a single-track railway with two trains an hour.
“It is baffling that the Scottish Government is content to go along with Transport Scotland’s plan not to create a double track that would greatly benefit so many people in the area.
“The Minister’s response in the chamber that the government is pushing ahead with the single-track electrification was beyond disappointing.”
Replying to Ms Lennon, Mr Arthur said: “As the member will be aware, we are delivering electrification of the railway line to East Kilbride as we are doing so in Barrhead as well as part of that project.
“That is a commitment which was fully considered and appraised as part of due process and it’s one that this government is delivering.”
East Kilbride SNP MSP Collette Stevenson said: “I recently met with the Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth to convey my disappointment at the decision not to dual track the section from Hairmyres to Busby.
“My position has been, and still remains that a town the size of East Kilbride should have a line which is electrified and dual tracked.
“I was delighted to have confirmation at that meeting, however, that there are plans to increase the passing loop at Hairmyres, the advantage being that the improvements would be able to accommodate four trains per hour.”
Transport Scotland say they have invested a “significant amount of funding into the East Kilbride rail corridor” and that plans will still “deliver high-quality public transport choices for passengers through the introduction of greener, more reliable electric trains, with improved stations and passenger facilities.”
An issue that residents feel strongly about