Feasibility studies are to be carried out into options to reduce cross-border train journey times, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
The studies mark the next phase in plans to eventually cut the journey time between Scotland’s central belt and London to three hours.
Last year, the UK and Scottish governments jointly commissioned work to identify options for improvement on the east and west coast rail corridors.
A short list of options has been drawn up, and analysis will now be commissioned to understand cost, benefits, environmental impacts and technical considerations for work in Scotland.
The studies will focus on the east coast line south of Dunbar towards Newcastle and on the west coast line between Glasgow and Carstairs.
This feasibility study will also consider the potential for new cross-border stations within the Eurocentral business park and on the existing rail network near Livingston.
Addressing business leaders in Newcastle, Ms Sturgeon said: “I am determined for us to take the necessary steps to secure Scotland’s future and improve our connectivity with England.
“This work will provide us with the knowledge to make informed investments in the next 10 years and move us towards our goal of a three-hour journey time to London and substantially reduced journey times to the cities in between.
“It is fitting that I am able to make this announcement while speaking to the North East England Chambers of Commerce. This work could have significant benefits for people and businesses on both sides of the border.
“For example, it is expected that these studies will confirm we will be able to reduce the journey time between Edinburgh and Newcastle by a third, down to only one hour, and also reduce journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh and Carlisle.
“This will further enhance the opportunities for trade and leisure travel between these great cities, as well as the surrounding area.”
Mark Bevan, chief executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, said: “Improving transport connectivity is of huge significance to Scotland’s economy and future growth. With this in mind we welcome major steps to reduce journey times, like those announced today by the First Minister.
“Businesses north of the border rely heavily on their ability to connect with the north of England, London and the rest of the UK, so any measures which significantly reduce rail travel time will bring real benefits.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel