Question reference: S6W-25517
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 13 February 2024
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has developed a strategy to increase the amount of goods travelling by rail instead of road.
Answer
The Scottish Government fully supports rail freight and modal shift, thus this is outlined in the 2016 rail freight strategy https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/5362/ts-rail-freight-strategy-a4-aw3.pdf
In 2019 Network Rail, and the industry, developed a comprehensive Industry Growth Plan for Rail Freight and an updated Plan for longer-term growth is being developed.
Our priority for supporting Rail freight remains in facilitating more efficient operation - through investment in capacity, adjustment of passenger services and encouraging and requiring Network Rail to support rail freight. We want rail freight to be competitive without the need for subsidy.