Question reference: S6W-01944
- Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 28 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) appraisals and (b) other transport studies that directly affect the (i) Westerton-Milngavie, (ii) Ardrossan South Beach-Largs, (iii) Dumbreck-Paisley Canal and (iv) Dumbarton Central- (A) Helensburgh Central and (B) Balloch railway line have been carried out in each year since 2003.
Answer
The Scottish Strategic Rail Study, published in 2003 by the Scottish Executive, was undertaken with the purpose of identifying the costs and benefits of potential improvements to passenger rail services in Central and North East Scotland and to outline the strategic priorities for the railways in these parts of the country.
The first Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR1), completed in 2008, covered all parts of the rail network in Scotland. Given the corridor, strategic node and urban network approach used for STPR1 the most relevant details related to the locations noted in the question are contained within the Glasgow urban network section of the review, with cross reference to Corridor 7 - Glasgow to Oban / Fort William and Western Isles; Corridor 15 - Glasgow to Stranraer and South West and Corridor 17 - Glasgow to Inverclyde and Islands. Full details of the appraisal are available here: Strategic Transport Projects Review .
Work on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review is currently on-going and is due to report later this year. This review has taken a regional approach to the appraisal process with the most relevant reports that cover the routes noted in the question identified below:
National Case for Change – Main Report: Initial appraisal: Case for Change - National - STPR2 (transport.gov.scot)
Glasgow City Region: Initial appraisal: Case for Change - Glasgow City Region - STPR2 (transport.gov.scot)
Ayrshire and Arran Region: Initial appraisal: Case for Change - Ayrshire and Arran - STPR2 (transport.gov.scot)
All rail based options (approximately 200) that have emerged from the sifting exercise undertaken as part of the development of the Initial Appraisal: Case for Change element of the review are now subject to more detailed appraisal. The draft recommendations from the review together with the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Statutory Impact Assessments will be published later this year.
The Scottish Government is aware of appraisal work relevant to the named corridors, that has been undertaken or ongoing by other parties:
- Scottish Planning Assessment (which informed the Route Utilisation Study), August 2006, Network Rail
- Route Utilisation Study, March 2007, Network Rail
- Scotland Route Study, 2016, Network Rail
- Westerton-Milngavie - A81 Milngavie – Bearsden Corridor Study, STAG Final Report, March 2015, East Dunbartonshire Council;
- A81 Transport Options Appraisal Study, February 2017, East Dunbartonshire Council
- Helensburgh Central – Fastline Faslane STAG Study, Hitrans (with funding from Scottish Government – Local Rail Development Fund)