Russell Imrie: Scotland needs high-speed rail to remain on track

Published on Tuesday 24 January 2012 00:00

SESTRAN fully supports the campaign to bring High-Speed Rail to Scotland.

We believe that it is essential to secure Scotland’s future competitiveness and economic prosperity.

A recent report from Scotland’s Partnership for High-Speed Rail, which includes SEStran, shows that while the business case for high-speed rail is already strong, including Scotland strengthens it even further.

From Scotland’s perspective high-speed rail is a key piece of infrastructure which will increase our accessibility and provide a step-change improvement in connectivity with the rest of the UK and Europe. It is therefore vital that Scotland is included as part of the construction programme north of Birmingham from the outset.

Inclusion in a UK high-speed rail network will give Scotland a level economic playing field relative to other areas of the UK. Conversely, exclusion will leave Glasgow and Edinburgh comparatively distant from London, in terms of journey times, relative to their main competitors. This would put them at a significant disadvantage.

As it replaces aviation as the mode of choice for the Scotland-London travel market, high-speed rail will also deliver environmental benefits. Scotland’s carbon footprint will be significantly reduced, helping realise major long-term reductions in overall UK carbon emissions.

A reduction in need for air travel from the Central Belt will also release additional landing slots, at least some of which can be redistributed to meet the growing need from Scotland’s northern airports.

We believe that it is vital that high-speed rail is developed in the UK and that Scotland is part of it, if the UK is to see the full benefits of Scotland’s contribution to the national economy.

If Scotland is not included in the high-speed rail project, it will have serious long-term implications for our economic development, the provision of sustainable transportation in Scotland and our links with the rest of the UK and the wider world.

Decision makers and opinion formers in Scotland must throw their weight behind the campaign to ensure that Scotland is included in this vital project from the outset.

• Councillor Russell Imrie is chair of SEStran

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The Airman

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:39 PM

Truthsleuth called me an anorak. Why thank you! Seriously, though (1) an English Government would only build a high-speed line as far north as Manchester or Leeds - simply, there is no business case to build it any further, from their own point of view; (2) Glasgow-Manchester is already possible in 3 and a half hours or so; (3) while a time saving of fifty percent (ninety minutes) would be a nice-to-save, it is not worth the money it would cost for the numbers of passengers it would handle. My other points in #3 and #4 stand.

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TRUTHSLEUTH

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 11:51 AM

By his name AIRMAN most likely has interests in another transport mode and in all likelyhood is an Aviation Anorak. He should read more newspapers beyond 'Flight International' and bring himself down to earth. THe bit of HS2S in Englens will be paid for by those south of the border. He should take off his extreme SNP hat and open his eyes he would then see the benefit of GlasgowEdinburgh - London?ManchesterLeedsBirmingham in under 3 hours. To bad he will not get so many plane spotting hits for small aircraft as he now does. BacktotheFuture is exactly that a luddite who would keep us all int past because he knows absolutely nothing about much of import. HS2S could cut 90mins (50%) off Journey times - Hardly 'slightly faster'.

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The Airman

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 09:46 AM

And another question for Cllr Imrie: why does he like being generous with other people's money?

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The Airman

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 09:32 AM

Two questions: who does Cllr Imrie expect to pay for this line, especially the bit north of Manchester; and second, if Scotland were independent, why would a London-based Government pay for the connection to the Central Belt? I mean, if Scotland was going to benefit, surely it should be paying?

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Back To The Future

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 08:35 AM

Scotland needs a whole raft of things before it needs another shiny glitzy vanity project which we CANNOT AFFORD. Let the honourable councillor sort out his own backyard before pontificating on economic logistic issues he plainly knows little about. A new, slightly faster, train will not put us on "a level playing field" with the more progressive South, what idiocy. However, better education, less regulation and more fiscal responsibility just might.

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Merіda

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:09 AM

1970'sPunk

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