HiTrans presses for Highland Main Line electrification

HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, is recommending that a task force be set up to press for much-needed investment on the Perth to Inverness main line.

Electrification is seen as key to improving journey times, delivering greater reliability and resilience while contributing to the Scottish Government’s objective to reduce transport carbon emissions to zero.

However, a report by consultants Systra acknowledges full electrification of the route would be a major challenge, both in terms of cost and engineering.

Instead it suggests a discontinuous electrification programme, including the use of battery or hydrogen trains, should be considered as an interim solution.

While the parallel A9 road is in line for a £3billion package of upgrades, the 118-mile Highland Main Line has seen only limited investment over recent decades.

Average journey times between Inverness and Edinburgh and Glasgow have not improved significantly since 2006 when aspirations were announced to cut journey times to less than three hours.

Train frequency has improved between Perth and Inverness and better quality Inter7City HSTs are now replacing

Class 158/170 DMUs, but the two-hour average journey time promised in 2011 has not been achieved.