Question reference: S5W-00765
- Asked by: Ross Thomson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 15 June 2016
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 June 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the improvement works on the Aberdeen to (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh rail line will (i) commence and (ii) end.
Answer
The Scottish Government has set out its aspirations for improvements in journey times and performance between Aberdeen and the central belt. Phase one of the Aberdeen to central belt project commenced in 2014, which will deliver line speed improvements, improved loop capacity for freight and signalling enhancements by 2019, with future phases being delivered over an incremental basis until 2030.
Separate development work for the Aberdeen city region deal rail commitments is being progressed by Transport Scotland, the remit of which is in line with the announcements made in January 2016. Full delivery is expected to be up to 10 years, as outlined in the broader city deal commitments, with specification of initial requirements to be set out in the Scottish Government’s high level output specification for control period 6 (period 2019 to 2024), which is due to be published by summer 2017.