Investing in Scotland's Railway
Video transcript - Prioritisation of rail projects
Rail provides vital connections between our cities, our communities, our businesses, and showcases all that Scotland has to offer. Scotland’s Railway today is a dynamic collaboration of Government and rail industry partners working together to deliver the safe, timeous and high quality railway that Scotland expects and deserves. Our partners include:
- ScotRail Alliance (ScotRail and Network Rail)
- Serco Caledonian Sleeper Ltd
- Office of Rail and Road
- cross border rail operators
- rail supply chain.
The railway is part of the fabric of our nation’s economy and well-being. It connects people and places - supporting over 13,000 jobs, around 9000 of those directly. It is a Living Wage employer and our rail franchises guarantee this.
How are we doing this?
By working together to promote positive leadership and behaviours across all levels we are enabling dynamic, evidence-based decisions to be made at the right level and at the right time. We are actively embracing new techniques and new thinking – all with the aim of delivering rail enhancements which bring tangible benefits to Scotland’s passengers and freight.
We have invested an unprecedented £9bn in this key part of the economy across Scotland, since 2007 and we are committed to a strong, sustainable railway that meets future demand.
Making our investment work for Scotland’s Railway
Our commitment to ensuring economic growth through the Strategic Transport Projects Review and the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.
We continue to make record investment in maintaining and improving our rail network. To sustain and enhance Scotland’s Railway, a suite of proposed projects is under appraisal, development and delivery across the country.
Proposals are considered for new stations, reopening closed ones, and upgrades where they are underpinned by a detailed transport appraisal that demonstrates long-term benefits to justify the investment required.
This also includes considering the need for accessibility improvements at some stations.
Video transcript - Prioritisation of rail projects
Caption text | Visual |
We're on a path to Net Zero by 2045 | View from the window of a train travelling along the West Highland Line |
and Scotland’s Railway is playing a key role | Aerial shot of the East Kilbride line with a train travelling through countryside |
by working on the right projects at the right time | Rail workers walk towards East Kilbride train station, filmed in 2020 |
aligning investment plans with STPR2 and our National Transport Strategy | Rail workers and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson at East Kilbride train station, filmed in 2020 |
as we progress our commitment to decarbonising passenger services by 2035 | Aerial shot of the East Kilbride line with two trains travelling through countryside, followed by a view of Shields Road Depot. |
including through electrification and hydrogen power | Transport Secretary Michael Matheson and Alex Hynes, Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway, announcing the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan in 2020 and a close up of a map showing the plans. |
Scotland's Railway is helping to transform our cities | Views of Queen Street station in Glasgow and Aberdeen station. |
we're investing in stations, improving rail access and connectivity | Aviemore station, a train travelling through Kintore station, a passenger lift and electric vehicle bays at Kintore. |
bringing the railway back to communities like Levenmouth | An aerial photograph of Levenmouth |
moving freight off the roads and supporting more sustainable transport | A freight train travelling. |
delivering a cleaner, greener railway for Scotland | A view of the Scottish landscape from a train window. |