New rail station at Inverness Airport 'must meet needs of Highlanders from day one' says MSP
Multi-million pound plans for a brand new railway station at Inverness Airport must "meet the needs of Highlanders from day one", a Highlands and Islands MSP has argued.
Tory MSP Edward Mountain has voice his support for the project which could be up and running by December 2022.
But he raised a note of caution, citing "a serious lack of clarity on what options will be available for passengers to transfer from the station to the airport".
Mr Mountain has called on Transport Scotland, Highland Council and HiTrans for more clarity on transport provision between the airport and station.
He said: "I am delighted that this project is moving forward. This project will not be cheap and it is likely it could cost in excess of £15 million.
"For that price, it is vital that the new station fully meets the needs of Highlanders from day one.
"I am therefore concerned that there remains a serious lack of clarity on what options will be available for passengers to transfer from the station to the airport."
Welcoming the active travel infrastructure planned at the station, he nevertheless warned that "we cannot expect all passengers to walk or cycle to the airport".
Flagging up a parallel with such transfer issues in Aberdeenshire between Dyce’s railway station and its airport, he added: "The new station must be linked up to the airport with regular services otherwise it will not meet its full potential."
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