Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has delayed his delivery plan for the Clyde metro and Edinburgh trams extension until the spring amid “budgetary uncertainties” he blamed on the UK Government.
Last month, the Scottish Government confirmed its transport investment priorities for the next 20 years – with a metro system for Glasgow and extending the capital’s tram officially confirmed as SNP priorities for the first time.
The Scottish Government set out its key priorities for future transport investment by publishing the second strategic transport projects review (STPR2).
Included in the recommendations is plans to establish mass transit systems in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Initial proposals have already been tabled for the Clyde metro, which could reach 1.5 million people in and around the city.
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The report says the system could include a combination of “bus rapid transit (BRT), tram, light rail and metro rail” and “would complement the service provided by traditional railways”.
It adds that the project would “provide significant capacity to encourage a switch from car use”.
In Edinburgh, the Scottish Government has also backed a mass transit system for the region, mentioning the word “tram”, despite the project’s difficult legacy.
Council bosses in the capital have set out an ambition to extend the tram network in the north and south of the city, but no funding has been allocated for the projects.
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The report adds that this system would be “potentially comprising tram and bus-based transit modes including bus rapid transit (BRT) and bus priority measures”.
But Mr Matheson has confirmed to MSPs that the delivery plan, which was supposed to accompany the announcement, will now not be published until after John Swinney delivers the Scottish Government’s draft budget.
This means that the timescales and funding plans will now not be made public until the spring, according to Mr Matheson.
Speaking in Holyrood, he said the strategy will provide “transformational change in the public transport infrastructure”.
Mr Matheson said: “We had intended to publish a delivery plan alongside STPR2 to set out how and when each of the recommendations are envisaged to be delivered.
“However, due to the fiscal and budgetary uncertainty over the past few months, that has not been either practical or possible.
“The fact we are constrained by a reliance on the UK Government for capital grant allocation, as well as our limited capital borrowing powers has added to the uncertainty.”
He added: “All of this has resulted in a decision to take more time to create a fully informed and accurate delivery plan.
It will continue to be developed over the coming months, informed by the draft budget for the coming financial year with the intention to publish it in the spring.”
Pointing to the plans for the Clyde metro, Tory transport spokesman, Graham Simpson said: “I do not think there is a cat in hell’s chance of it ever happening.”
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Labour’s transport spokesperson, Colin Smyth pointed to “a strategy that is years late and there’s still no sign of a delivery plan or budget”.
He added: “Given this government’s record on delivering transport projects over budget and over time, why should any community believe the cabinet secretary when he does eventually get round to telling us when the projects in STPR2 will be delivered?
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“What will he do this time to avoid the failures of the past?”
Mr Matheson said that a leadership team has already started some work on the Clyde metro plans.
He added: “Further work will be set out over the course of creating the business case for the metro over the course of this year.”
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