3 February 2005

Evening Times political editor to chair final GARL public meeting

Evening Times political editor Brian Currie will chair the final Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) public meeting on Monday 21 February at Paisley Town Hall between 7pm and 9pm.

Brian Currie has 35 years' experience as a senior print and broadcast journalist in Scotland. Before joining the Evening Times in 1999 he spent 25 years as a senior BBC producer on programmes ranging from Sportscene to Reporting Scotland.

He said, "The Glasgow Airport Rail Link is one of Scotland's major public transport projects and one which everyone with an interest in the development of the west of Scotland should engage with.

"Public transport is high on the political agenda at the moment and I look forward to seeing as many people as possible contributing to an interesting debate in a few weeks' time."

The meeting will give SPT, the body behind the proposed new rail line between Glasgow Central and Glasgow Airport, the opportunity to give a progress report on the project. The public will then have one week until the end of the formal consultation in which to respond to the new information.

Councillor Alistair Watson, chair of SPT, said, "We are delighted that one of Scotland's most respected political journalists has agreed to chair the meeting.

"Brian has an impressive background straddling the worlds of sport, politics and social affairs and we look forward to his involvement in the consultation."

Currie joined the Evening Times in 1999 at a time of major change for the paper. A year as associate editor (news and sport) was followed by a move to associate editor (politics). He now divides his time between Holyrood and Glasgow with occasional stints in Westminster.

At the BBC, Currie produced political programme Left, Right and Centre, fronted by Kirsty Wark. He also worked with Wark on Question Time for several years and edited various General Election programmes which she hosted. Currie also produced Sportscene Match of the Day for four years as well as the Scottish output from two World Cups and Euro 96.

The public consultation began on 1 November. Scottish Executive guidelines say organisations putting private transport bills to the Scottish Parliament should hold a 12-week consultation process. SPT's original three-month consultation period was set to take into account the Christmas period.

The consultation has seen more than 20,000 information leaflets distributed to homes and businesses along the route of the proposed link. A seat drop has also been done on local train services. A series of public exhibitions and meetings have been held and a website has also been set up.

Passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport are predicted to virtually double, from 8.2 million passengers a year in 2003, to over 15 million passengers a year in 2030. At the moment, 95% of these passengers travel to the airport by road. The M8 is currently at capacity and cannot cope with the predicted growth.

The rail link is vital to alleviate congestion on the M8 and will help to contribute to the continued growth of Glasgow Airport, which employs 15,000 people and is one of the biggest wealth generators in the west of Scotland.

Consultants have been investigating the feasibility of building a direct rail link to Glasgow Airport for some 15 years and a preferred route has been identified, which mainly follows existing rail lines.

The proposal is to upgrade 9 km (5.4 miles) of existing track between Shields Junction and Paisley Gilmour Street Station and to lay 2 km (1.2 miles) of new track between Paisley St James Station and Glasgow Airport. The new track will cross St James Park and the M8.

The link is expected to generate a range of economic benefits for Glasgow, for the Paisley area and for the west of Scotland as a whole:

• Large scale infrastructure investments are seen as a vote of confidence in an area and can generate private investment.
• Businesses benefit from reduced congestion.
• Improved transport links open up new job markets.
• A fast, reliable, rail link to the airport makes Glasgow a more attractive tourist destination.

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