Tram and train interchange cost doubles to £40 million

THE final bill for a transport interchange at Gogar which would link Edinburgh-Fife trains with the Capital's tram project has doubled to £40 million, it was reported today.

Reports today said the cost of the Gogar interchange had risen from initial estimates of 20m last summer to 35m, with improvements to the nearby Gogar Roundabout expected to cost an extra 5m.

The figures equate to more than 50 per passenger, based on projections that 750,000 will use the interchange in its first year.

The latest escalation has reportedly led to a row between the city council's planning department and Network Rail, which submitted a planning application in October for the interchange that is expected to allow better access to Edinburgh Airport by public transport.

The rail company admitted it was now unlikely that construction would begin as planned in spring.

The delay is potentially embarrassing for the Scottish Government as the interchange marks the first stage of its 1 billion Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), which aims to bring journeys between the two cities down to 35 minutes.

According to correspondence published on the council's website, the initial planning application incorrectly assumed that improvements to Gogar Roundabout would be paid for by tram firm TIE.

Although it was initially thought that the extra traffic could be managed by introducing signals, it is understood that plans have now been drawn up to add an extra lane to the roundabout which would require the widening of two bridges that carry traffic over it.

A spokesman for the council insisted that the planning application was proceeding "as normal", but said there were some outstanding issues that were still to be addressed.

He said: "It is not our practice to comment publicly on planning applications. There are a number of outstanding issues that are still being discussed and I expect we will make a statement about those in the next couple of weeks."

Sources within Network Rail said the company was unhappy at the council attempting to have improvements to road infrastructure rolled into the rail interchange so it would not have to pay for them.

It is understood that another factor that has led to costs increasing is the inclusion of the interchange in the government's national planning framework, which has a higher standard of architectural design.

Richard Simpson, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said the increased cost of the project raised questions over whether the right investment priorities were being followed.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Discussions between Network Rail and Edinburgh City Council regarding the new interchange and adjacent roundabout are ongoing.

"The continued planning process does mean we are unlikely to be on-site in spring as we originally announced."