WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE

DELIVERY PRIORITIES

In order to deliver an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable transport system in Scotland which will help deliver the Government’s Purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth, Transport Scotland has a set of delivery priorities over the Corporate Plan period:

Improved connections across Scotland
Better journey times, better reliability
Greener transport alternatives, reduced emissions
Increased safety, more innovation

PRIORITY

Improved connections across Scotland

CASE STUDY: CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

The Forth Replacement Crossing will be the largest construction project in the country in a generation and will create a new modern and iconic structure for Scotland in the 21st century. It will connect communities on a local, regional and national scale. As announced to Parliament in December 2007, the crossing will be a cable stayed bridge upstream of the existing road bridge. The crossing is vital to maintain the capacity and capability of the national and regional road network. It will generate net economic benefits of around £5 billion.

Design and develop a replacement Forth Crossing
Work with colleagues in Scottish Government and with Local Authority partners, to improve the integration of transport and land use planning
Complete the Strategic Transport Projects Review and its Strategic Environmental Assessment and develop a future programme of investment in key transport projects, road, rail and other public transport across Scotland to be delivered in 2012-2022
Build the railway to Glasgow Airport in time for the Commonwealth Games
Deliver a new, electrified railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow linking Bathgate and Airdrie and allowing for direct rail services to run from Lanarkshire to Edinburgh and West Lothian to Glasgow
Deliver a new interchange between the rail and tram networks providing connections to Edinburgh Airport and the West Edinburgh Development Area
Deliver a new railway from Stirling to Alloa and Kincardine
Support the delivery of the Edinburgh Tram Project
Complete various major road improvements including the new Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine and a bypass of Dalkeith
Work on the A90 including commencing work on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and completing the dual carriageway from Balmedie to Tipperty
Begin construction of the railway to the Borders
Enhance rail and road connections in the Highlands including key connections to Inverness and planning for the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness

CASE STUDY: HELPING ALLEVIATE CONGESTION

Construction of the M74 will complete a vital link in the Central Scotland Motorway Network, joining the existing M74 motorway with the M8 south of the Kingston Bridge. The scheme is one of the Scottish Government’s top priority transport projects and will bring £2 billion of net economic benefit reducing journey times, helping to alleviate congestion on the existing M8 and bringing much-needed new investment in homes and jobs in the East End of Glasgow. It is also a crucial piece of infrastructure to provide excellent transport facilities for the visitors and athletes to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

PRIORITY

Better journey times, better reliability

Invest in the maintenance and improvement of the trunk road network, targeting improvements to reduce congestion and investing in new technology to improve journey reliability
Complete construction of the M74 in Glasgow
Work with Network Rail and First ScotRail to reduce rail journey times and improve train service frequencies
Take forward the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme to enhance the rail network in the Central Belt
Extend and enhance the systems underpinning Traffic Scotland and Traveline Scotland to improve the delivery of travel information, trunk road traffic control, and "smarter" integrated ticketing

PRIORITY

Greener transport alternatives, reduced emissions

Provide more sustainable public transport alternatives to the private car
Increase electrification of the rail network
Improve rail journey times between our main cities
Encourage the move of freight from road to rail
Deliver a new fleet of efficient electric trains
Maximise the use of the national concessionary travel schemes
Develop micro-generation, solar and wind-powered generators for trunk road equipment
Lead the way in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change

CASE STUDY: MODERNISING EDINBURGH GLASGOW RAIL SERVICES

The Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme is an ambitious plan for the central Scotland railway to provide modern, comfortable, quieter, cleaner and markedly faster trains – and more of them – between Glasgow and Edinburgh, our two largest economic centres. It will improve Glasgow to Edinburgh connections (via Falkirk, Shotts and Carstairs), provide, in connection with the Edinburgh Tram Project, rail links to Edinburgh Airport and improvements to services as far as Dunblane, Alloa and Cumbernauld, delivering benefits to an estimated 15 million rail users each year.

CASE STUDY: DEVELOPING INTEGRATED TICKETING

We are developing an Integrated Ticketing Strategy for Scotland. By harnessing new smartcard technology public transport will become progressively easier to use, as smartcards rather than cash become the preferred method of paying. This should result in greater use of public transport. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will almost certainly require sophisticated smartcard ticketing arrangements to be in place. We will be ready for this challenge.

PRIORITY

Increased safety, more innovation

Continue to improve the safety of Scotland’s trunk road network through the delivery of the Strategic Road Safety Plan
Develop and introduce innovative ways of improving the road and rail networks, for example overtaking lanes and flyover junctions
Provide a range of safety enhancements on the A9 and on the A75 and A77 routes serving the key ferry terminals to Ireland
Deliver efficiency savings in excess of £150 million over the three-year period of this plan
Enable customers to use the latest smart technology in order to travel as seamlessly as possibly by fitting all 7,000 buses in Scotland with new ticket machines