Survey shows value of cross-border rail service
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OUR organisation has submitted its response to Transport Scotland’s Rail2014 consultation, which closed last week.
Inverness Courier readers will recall back in November when the consultation was launched the question "should cross-border services continue to go north of Edinburgh?" rightly caused people in the Highlands to question whether the Chieftain and sleeper services direct to London were safe — or whether this connection would be severed.
Following the launch of the consultation, SCDI undertook a survey of its membership across Scotland on the issue of rail services. It found that for the Highlands, 70 per cent used cross-border service, with 85 per cent saying that was their preferred option for journeys to central Scotland and 30 per cent using the service for direct connections to England.
Half said if the service was ended they would be less likely to use the train.
Cross-border services are therefore clearly of benefit to significant numbers of businesses north of Edinburgh.
They provide an alternative to aviation and resilience for Scottish businesses and the economy at times when air travel is not possible — as demonstrated at the time of the ash cloud. Cross-border services have far greater capacity than ScotRail and if they were no longer an option there would be an immediate need to provide sufficient, high-quality capacity and ensure it would be available in the event of future events affecting air travel.
It is also likely that the connectivity and capacity offered by cross-border services is more attractive to potential visitors to Scotland.
All these benefits to passengers ultimately benefit the economy and taxpayers.
SCDI’s survey also identifies reasons why cross-border services are preferred for journeys within Scotland.These include greater comfort and the provision of wi-fi, a first class travel option and a buffet car.
It is felt the current ScotRail rolling stock is not suitable for the length of Inverness to central Scotland journeys.
Given that the UK Government has announced it will support the continuation of through trains and both the UK and Scottish governments have committed investment towards sleeper services, I hope the outcome of this consultation will reflect those decisions and ensure our cross-border services are safeguarded for generations to come.
Inverness bypass
The decision of which route the Inverness bypass should take has finally been made.
I hope this will now be ratified when the full council meets this week so that progress can be made on the final design.
Inverness needs to provide traffic with an opportunity to move around the city rather than through it.
We need to free our city centre from the constraints the current traffic flow brings and enable it to focus on providing an attractive, welcoming, and accessible hub for residents, businesses and visitors.
