Scotland announces investment in road and rail

Capital spending worth up to £60 billion will mean substantial investment in Scotland's rail and road network, Alex Neil, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, has announced.

The pledge came after the Scottish Government's Infrastructure and Investment Plan was published, which details the money will be spent up until 2030.

As part of the measures, the Scottish Government will dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2025, with a view to completing dualling of the A96 and the dualled road network between all Scottish cities by 2030.

It will also complete construction of replacement crossing over the Firth of Forth by 2016, and invest in substantial rail improvements, reducing journey times between Edinburgh and Glasgow, from Aberdeen to the central belt, Aberdeen to Inverness and on the Highland Main line.

The plan also includes high speed rail, and estimates a cost of £15 billion for completion of the route, from North West England to Scotland, with a Scottish contribution of £8-9 billion. Scottish ministers will continue to press for this to come to Scotland at the earliest opportunity, although final decisions on timing and route rest at Westminster.

Mr Neil said: "Investing in our infrastructure is absolutely vital to grow our economy. The Infrastructure Investment Plan demonstrates exactly how, when and what we will invest in to deliver that goal, bringing substantial benefits for all of Scotland.

"Our clear commitment to dual the routes between all of our major cities by 2030 and complete the dualling of the A9 by 2025 goes further than any previous administration in Scotland. These improved connections will provide a huge boost for Scotland's economic future and will be particularly welcomed by the construction and civil engineering sectors.

"Similarly, improvements in our rail network will provide both benefits to travellers, and a long term boost for our economy. Inclusion of High Speed Rail highlights our commitment to the Scottish end of the project. We now need Westminster to act and include Scotland in their plans.”

This investment will provide crucial support for employment, with every additional £100m of capital invested per year estimated to generate £160m worth of economic activity and support 1400 jobs in the wider economy for that year.

For more information
www.scotland.gov.uk