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21 February 2008

S3M-916 Rail Improvements (Central Scotland)

Scottish Parliament

Thursday 21 February 2008

[THE PRESIDING OFFICER opened the meeting at 09:15]
... ... ...
Rail Improvements
(Central Scotland)

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman): The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-916, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on central Scotland rail improvements. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament welcomes the Scottish Government's plans to electrify the Glasgow to Edinburgh and Cumbernauld railway lines; believes that this will have a positive effect on the commuting experience for people across Scotland, particularly those in central Scotland; recognises the importance of providing alternatives to the private car to reduce congestion and pollution and of opening up social and economic opportunities to the 32 per cent of Scottish households that do not have access to a car; notes the campaigns by various rail user groups calling for the introduction of a national railcard scheme which would provide discounted travel to all regular train users, and believes that such a scheme should be considered for introduction in Scotland.

17:08
... ... ...
17:32

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson): I thank Jamie Hepburn for initiating the debate and for recognising the Scottish Government's commitment to improving the rail network. We certainly aim to make the network more attractive to more passengers by providing journeys of high quality and high reliability that offer a genuine alternative to the car.

Since coming into ministerial office, I have made more than 200 journeys by train and rather fewer than that number with the Government car service. I arrived at Parliament today on the 06:30 from Linlithgow. This particular minister is indeed a user of the rail network.

Let me address some points that members raised before I turn to my core statement. At heart, Jamie Hepburn's speech was a plea for a simplification of the fares structure. I must say that I have some sympathy with that, as the current structure can be quite difficult to navigate. For example, the over-55 discount that is currently available is an episodic promotion that continues until the end of March, but several of my friends who—like me—are over 55 were unaware of it despite the fact that they regularly use the train.

By contrast, Alex Johnstone wanted a more complex fares system. I was struck by a vision of what it might be like to arrive at Upper Tyndrum or Corrour station where one had to negotiate on an easyJet basis for the most discounted fare from that station on a particular day. I was less attracted to Alex Johnstone's proposal, but I think that the heart of his suggestion was the desire to drive up utilisation and we are all on track for that.

Hugh O'Donnell raised the issue of speeding up services for commuters. There will be additional connections between Edinburgh and Glasgow when the Airdrie to Bathgate line opens. On the main Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk line, we are looking at increasing the number of services to six per hour, two of which will be direct Edinburgh to Glasgow services, which are the ones that deliver the higher speed. We will also preserve, maintain and enhance the speed for the local connections at Polmont, Falkirk High and Linlithgow. I hope that taking direct, point-to-point traffic off those services will help to reduce overcrowding.

Christopher Harvie praised Deutsche Bahn. In my experience, it has the best database of timetable information, which covers the whole of Europe. I have used it on a number of occasions. I look forward to seeing how its ownership of EWS—English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd—makes a contribution.

Mary Mulligan tells me that I have the Blackridge station report in my in-tray. I have not got to that part of my in-tray, but I will certainly give the report close attention because I share Mary Mulligan's interest in making the service the best that it can be.

We are improving the Edinburgh to Glasgow routes and making improvements throughout central Scotland. The electrification of the core route via Falkirk, the route to Stirling and Dunblane and the Cumbernauld line will have a positive impact on commuters throughout central Scotland. Services will be more reliable, they will be quieter, they will have more capacity, and they will be generally more attractive.

However, we are doing more than electrifying services. We are also committed to boosting the number of services. There will be new services from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh and we will improve connections from the south and west of Glasgow and from Prestwick and Glasgow airports to Edinburgh. There will be at least an extra 200 seats per hour with a journey time of a little more than an hour.

As Christopher Harvie said, our rail network opened in central Scotland in 1840. It took off the front of the garden of a house that I used to live in, much to the regret of the person who owned it then. Passenger numbers are at their highest since the 1960s and the number of passengers who choose to use ScotRail services has grown by 24 per cent since the start of the franchise. That is excellent news. In the financial year to April 2007, we had 77.3 million passengers, and the upward trend has continued since then, with a 4.7 per cent increase in passenger numbers compared with the same time last year.

Freight, too, has increased. In the financial year to April 2006, 14 million tonnes of freight was lifted by rail in Scotland, including cross-border freight.

That represents a 70 per cent increase in a three-year period. However, we can do better and we can do more. We have put in place gauge relief all the way up to Elgin, thereby connecting the central belt of Scotland, which is the subject of tonight's debate, to wider Scotland.

The performance of First ScotRail has also improved. In the past 12 months, delays have been 10 per cent lower than in the previous year. Performance for the industry as a whole has seen delays reduce by 6 per cent. The public performance measure is set to exceed 90 per cent for the moving target for the first time since October 2000.

People are making positive choices to use the train and we believe that they will continue to do so. I purchase my senior discount card for £20 each year and I get a third off fares. I am certainly prepared to discuss with the Department for Transport the idea of a card that is funded by use of the card. Of course, the idea may well have ramifications beyond the borders of Scotland.

We are funding station improvements, additional station stops, which benefit passengers, and increased opportunities for people to use the rail service. The additional evening service from Edinburgh to North Berwick is but one example.

Transport Scotland will continue its multimodal assessment of transport investment needs throughout Scotland. Longer-term options such as even faster routes will be considered in the strategic transport projects review alongside road and bus options, and the national planning framework gives our aspiration to electrify the whole network by 2030.

There is much to be proud of. I thank Jamie Hepburn for bringing the matter to the chamber for debate. I hope that members agree that rail in Scotland is delivering both for our people and for our economy.

Meeting closed at 17:40

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