£1bn rail upgrade remains on track

Published on Saturday 3 July 2010 13:22

A MAJOR rail electrification scheme is to go ahead in Scotland which will help cut journey times between Edinburgh and Glasgow to 35 minutes.

Government agency Transport Scotland has confirmed that it was committed to installing electric power lines on more than 200 miles of rail track in the Central Belt by 2016.

Its show of support for the 1 billion Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) comes despite the UK government cutting its railway electrification investment programme.

Network Rail, which runs the UK's railways, has postponed a 1.1bn programme to electrify routes between London and Wales and between Liverpool and Manchester, claiming this was necessary after the Department for Transport cancelled an order for 700 new train carriages.

However, Transport Scotland said the EGIP was still on the agenda. A spokesman said: "The EGIP will revolutionise the rail network in central Scotland, improving journey times, increasing reliability and providing the travelling public with more opportunities to make the switch from private car to rail.

"We remain committed to working with our industry partners to deliver the significant programme of electrification works."

About one third of the UK's rail network is electrified, including the Strathclyde suburban network and routes in Inverclyde and Ayrshire, a far smaller proportion than in most European countries.

As well as producing lower greenhouse gas emissions - typically 25-30 per cent lower than a diesel engine - electric trains are cheaper to run and require less maintenance.