Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link Improvement Stage 1 Outcome Evaluation Report

5 COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT RAIL EVALUATION GUIDANCE

5.1 From our practical experience of using the draft rail guidance to undertake a Stage 1 Outcome Evaluation of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link improvement, we would recommend that the guidance be further developed to:

• Include a toolkit that sets out indicators (mandatory and/or optional) that can be used to measure common operational outputs and impacts against each of the five STAG objectives as well as established policy directives.
• Building on the Benefits Realisation Plan, include a requirement for an Evaluation Plan to be prepared at an early stage – setting out what the metrics will be, what information will be collected, when and by whom.
• Include advice on the approach for assessing how accurate predictions were and whether the scheme is delivering value for money.
• Consider carrying out post completion reviews to assess the effectiveness of environmental mitigation measures, cycling facilities, etc.
• Include advice on incorporating stakeholder feedback.
• Outline the roles and responsibilities of the project team.
• Present details of the reporting structure to be used.
• Provide advice on how the Gateway 5 review and Lessons Learned process fits into the evaluation process.
• Include advice on how lessons learned are to be disseminated.