25 years of the railways in Scotland since the Scottish Parliament reopening

[clc]

It's going to take two years to complete the few miles up to East Kilbride. I can't see much else starting much before 2026. Hope I'm wrong

Look how the enhancements budget has fallen in the last couple of years:-

2022/23 - £247m
2023/24 - £155.8m
2024/25 - £146.9m

Once Levenmouth and East Kilbride get their funding allocations I don’t suppose there will be much left for anything else in the coming year.

On a positive note the renewals budget has been relatively well protected:-

2022/23 - £427m
2023/24 - £442m
2024/25 - £488.4m

Page 61 - https://www.gov.scot/binaries/conte.../govscot:document/scottish-budget-2024-25.pdf

 

[68000]

Look how the enhancements budget has fallen in the last couple of years:-

2022/23 - £247m
2023/24 - £155.8m
2024/25 - £146.9m

Once Levenmouth and East Kilbride get their funding allocations I don’t suppose there will be much left for anything else in the coming year.

On a positive note the renewals budget has been relatively well protected:-

2022/23 - £427m
2023/24 - £442m
2024/25 - £488.4m

Page 61 - https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2023/12/scottish-budget-2024-25/documents/scottish-budget-2024-25/scottish-budget-2024-25/govscot:document/scottish-budget-2024-25.pdf

The overall CP7 settlement is less than CP6 when adusted for inflation

That and the drop off in enhancements are some of the reasons NR in Scotland is opening up a voluntary redundancy scheme from Monday

 

[och aye]

The overall CP7 settlement is less than CP6 when adusted for inflation

That and the drop off in enhancements are some of the reasons NR in Scotland is opening up a voluntary redundancy scheme from Monday

Not great news!

Reading through the Google searches, as far as I can see, the Stirling to Dunfermline route was indeed mothballed.

The purpose of the reopening of the SAK route was to take coal trains off the Forth Bridge, and the consequence was the ability to reopen Alloa station. Not the other way round.

I know that some MSPs and Cllrs have made noises about reopening the line between Alloa and Dunfermline for passenger use. Is this realistic? It seems a bit of a waste of fairly new rail infrastructure if it can be beneficial for people living in the towns and villages along the line to make use of it.

 

[snookertam]

If there were to be any other upcoming re openings, Dyce to Peterhead or Fraserburgh would be the most logical route of any distance, but It’d be good if some consideration was given to links to Braehead, Renfrew and Glasgow Airport, all of which seem
eminently feasible.

Aside from the above, I agree with other posters who say that some attention should be given to the existing network now. Removal of absolute block signalling on the Aberdeen and Inverness lines is now overdue.

 

[Davester50]

Will Transport Scotland be able to restore peak fares? I doubt it given the Government's absolute fear of negative headlines.

They didn't care about putting the fares up by more than England and Wales in April 2024.

 

[clc]

If there were to be any other upcoming re openings, Dyce to Peterhead or Fraserburgh would be the most logical route of any distance, but It’d be good if some consideration was given to links to Braehead, Renfrew and Glasgow Airport, all of which seem
eminently feasible.

Clyde Metro is a priority in STPR2 and funding to develop the Case for Investment has recently been confirmed. The plans for the metro include a line from the city centre to the airport via QE Hospital, Braehead and Renfrew. Hopefully the business case stacks up.

 

[Speed43125]

They didn't care about putting the fares up by more than England and Wales in April 2024.

They have been increasing far less than in England Wales if you look back more than one year.

 

[Davester50]

They have been increasing far less than in England Wales if you look back more than one year.

Yesterday's chip paper.
Permanently sky-rocketing all fares while temporarily abolishing the peak is robbing Peter to pay Paul, and then some.

 

[Speed43125]

Yesterday's chip paper.
Permanently sky-rocketing all fares while temporarily abolishing the peak is robbing Peter to pay Paul, and then some.

I was referring to the Fare freeze from January 2022.

I don't image you would also describe various public sector wages as 'skyrocketing' as well after recent(ish) industrial action?

 

[Davester50]

I was referring to the Fare freeze from January 2022.

You should have been clearer. We were talking about now, not two years ago.

I don't image you would also describe various public sector wages as 'skyrocketing' as well after recent(ish) industrial action?

Inflationary pay rises aren't sky-rocketing, less than inflationary rises are real term cuts.
The two ScotRail deals were below the headline rates.

 

[Wynd]

If there were to be any other upcoming re openings, Dyce to Peterhead or Fraserburgh would be the most logical route of any distance, but It’d be good if some consideration was given to links to Braehead, Renfrew and Glasgow Airport, all of which seem
eminently feasible.

Aside from the above, I agree with other posters who say that some attention should be given to the existing network now. Removal of absolute block signalling on the Aberdeen and Inverness lines is now overdue.

Agreed, not that I am in any way biased, of course *cough CNER* excuse me!

A reduction in the enhancements is not ideal news, however, there is still a way to go to get Buchan reconnected, and things may well change in the Holyrood budget in that time.

A 2030-something reopening is what has been pitched to tie in with the electrification up to Inverurie. Makes some sense to do the various interventions for a Buchan railway, at the same time as the interventions required for electrifcation. Perhaps that may include the aformentioned ABS from Insch to is it Keith, or Elgin that it stops?

On balance I think Holyrood has done well so far. We have considerably more stations and route mileage than we did in 1999. Yes, there could be more, and there is always more to be done, but I think the Parliament has made a very positive impact.

Its also worth noting that the Scotland's Railway partnership model bears significant responsibility for the successess we have witnessed so far.

 

[Speed43125]

You should have been clearer. We were talking about now, not two years ago.

I explicitly said 'more than one year.'

Even just 10 months ago we were still in the period where fare levels had been frozen.

You were, as far as I could tell, comparing the most recent headline percentage increase in Scotland with those elsewhere in the UK. I was suggesting that doing so overlooked the recent history of fares increasingly less.

 

[Falcon1200]

On balance I think Holyrood has done well so far. We have considerably more stations and route mileage than we did in 1999. Yes, there could be more, and there is always more to be done, but I think the Parliament has made a very positive impact.

I agree; As an employee of Scotland's railway until 2016, it was heartening working for an expanding and improving organisation, hopefully that will continue.

 

[Davester50]

I explicitly said 'more than one year.'

Even just 10 months ago we were still in the period where fare levels had been frozen.

You were, as far as I could tell, comparing the most recent headline percentage increase in Scotland with those elsewhere in the UK. I was suggesting that doing so overlooked the recent history of fares increasingly less.

Previous rises are inconsequential to what I replied to.

 

[68000]

Previous rises are inconsequential to what I replied to.

Previous rises or lack of are very relevant when comparing with elsewhere

 

[BwniCymraeg]

Previous rises or lack of are very relevant when comparing with elsewhere

Indeed! To use simple, illustrative-purposes-only numbers, if Region A has had fares increase by 5% 3 years in a row and Region B had two years with no increase and then a year of 7%, a ticket that would have cost £10 in both regions three years ago would now be £11.58 in Region A, but only £10.70 for the lucky citizens of Region B!

 

[och aye]

Agreed, not that I am in any way biased, of course *cough CNER* excuse me!

A reduction in the enhancements is not ideal news, however, there is still a way to go to get Buchan reconnected, and things may well change in the Holyrood budget in that time.

A 2030-something reopening is what has been pitched to tie in with the electrification up to Inverurie. Makes some sense to do the various interventions for a Buchan railway, at the same time as the interventions required for electrifcation. Perhaps that may include the aformentioned ABS from Insch to is it Keith, or Elgin that it stops?

On balance I think Holyrood has done well so far. We have considerably more stations and route mileage than we did in 1999. Yes, there could be more, and there is always more to be done, but I think the Parliament has made a very positive impact.

Its also worth noting that the Scotland's Railway partnership model bears significant responsibility for the successess we have witnessed so far.

Perhaps it's probably better as a separate topic, but I wonder how many of the projects have been built under the approval and oversight by the Scot Parl/Transport Scotland would/wouldn't have happened if the Scot Parl hadn't been re-established. One project I can think of is the Borders Railway. While I'm happy to be corrected, I'm fairly certain that bringing a bill to parliament for the partial reopening of the Waverley Line was one of the key demands for the Lib Dems for agreeing to go into coalition with Labour back in 1999.

 

[snookertam]

Another product of the last 25 years has been the service improvements on the West Highland line. No idea if this would have happened anyway, but service levels all year round are far better than in 1999, when it was a standard 3 trains per day each way. Winter Sunday services were only 1 per day each way.

 

[Altnabreac]

Two missing station reopenings from the list:
Howwood 2001
Gartcosh 2005

 

[route101]

Two missing station reopenings from the list:
Howwood 2001
Gartcosh 2005

Heck, I didnt realise Howwood was that new.

 

[Bill57p9]

Much as the improvements to internal rail services have been welcome, without a truly integrated public transport system these improvements will not achieve the aim of reducing the current reliance on car use. The Scottish bus service network is a shambles and the Scottish Government need to instigate an in depth project to ensure that the buses work together with the expanded rail network to provide an effective system.

Now you mention it, in my opinion public transport integration has sadly taken a step backwards in Strathclyde in recent years with the withdrawal of Day Tripper tickets and through ticketing to Glasgow Airport via Paisley.

The Scotland to Ireland ferries relocating away from a railhead is an example outside Strathclyde.

 

[Davester50]

Previous rises or lack of are very relevant when comparing with elsewhere

Nope. Not when politicians spin short term lower rises.
Spin, Spin, Spin.

 

[och aye]

Two missing station reopenings from the list:
Howwood 2001
Gartcosh 2005

Thank you. Added.

 

[Porty]

There is a long interview on Christian Wolmar's "Calling all Stations" podcast this week with Alex Hynes, head of both Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland which may be of interest to readers.

 

[GordonT]

There is a long interview on Christian Wolmar's "Calling all Stations" podcast this week with Alex Hynes, head of both Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland which may be of interest to readers.

The devolution from Network Rail to Scotland's Railways with one MD logically overseeing train operation and infrastructure is surely a significant plus amongst recent developments north of the border.

 

[snowball]

There is a long interview on Christian Wolmar's "Calling all Stations" podcast this week with Alex Hynes, head of both Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland which may be of interest to readers.

There's at least one long video interview with him in another thead. Does he say anything different in the Wolmar one?