2 October 2006
BAA withdraws objection to Glasgow Airport Rail Link
SPT and Transport Minister welcome progress
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and BAA today came to an agreement on the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill which is progressing through the Scottish Parliament. This agreement has allowed BAA to withdraw their objection to the Bill.
BAA is a crucial and important partner in the development of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link and this agreement means that the two organisations will move forward together and progress the delivery of the rail link.
Councillor Alistair Watson as chair of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), the organisation promoting the bill, said: "We have worked closely with BAA as the proposal for GARL developed. Today’s agreement is the culmination of months of hard work by officials in both organisations. We now look forward to working in partnership with BAA and delivering, on time and within budget, this important transport link which will truly help join up journeys.
"A fast, efficient and reliable link from the airport to the city centre is essential for not only the west of Scotland but the country as a whole. We will continue to work closely with remaining objectors in an effort to meet their concerns."
He added: "There is a clear economic case for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, with the link helping to support 1300 jobs in the west of Scotland. In addition, GARL will provide additional travel and accessibility opportunities for the west coast areas of north and south Ayrshire and Inverclyde and provide an alternative, sustainable means of getting increasing numbers of passengers to and from the airport."
Transport Minister, Tavish Scott, said "The Glasgow Airport Rail Link is a vital part of Scotland’s future. The Agreement that has now been reached moves the project forward and I am pleased that BAA is onside."
On 21 June 2006 MSPs voted 110 to 1 in favour of passing the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill passing from the Preliminary to the Consideration stage, where it was considered in detail.
An independent assessor, Professor Hugh Begg has been appointed to further examine the Bill in detail and report back to the Committee. After considering the assessor's findings, a report will be produced by the GARL bill committee, after which MSPs vote on whether the bill should progress. It is estimated that this decision will be made towards end 2006.
The Minister for Transport announced in a statement earlier this year to the Scottish Parliament that he expected delivery of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link by the end of 2010. The Transport Minister's recent statement places the out-turn cost - cost at point of completion - at between £170m and £210m. This is consistent with SPT's projections.
The proposal is to upgrade 9km (5.4 miles) of existing track between Shields Junction and Paisley Gilmour Street station and to lay 1.9km (1.2miles) of new track between Paisley St James station and Glasgow Airport. The new track will cross St James Park and the M8. A new platform will also be built in Central Station and a new track laid at the Elderslie sidings.
The new rail link would provide a dedicated train service every 15 minutes between Glasgow Central Station and a new station at Glasgow Airport. Trains will stop once at Paisley Gilmour Street and the journey time will be 16 minutes.
The Department for Transport estimates that passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport are predicted to almost double, from 8.2million a year in 2003, to over 15 million passengers a year in 2030. Airport owner, BAA Scotland’s latest forecasts are even higher and indicate that passenger numbers could rise as high as 24 million by 2030. At present, 95% of these passengers travelling to Glasgow Airport do so by road.
The rail link will provide more travel choice for airport users and establish a sustainable transport link to Glasgow Airport, which is a major employer and one of the biggest wealth generators in the region. It will increase the rail opportunities for travellers using Paisley Gilmour Street station.
The link will also benefit the tourist industry. According to Roger Tym & Partners, Glasgow Airport Rail Link could help bring 52,500 additional UK and overseas visitors and contribute towards £10m in additional visitor expenditure every year to Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. The link would also support the Glasgow City region’s conference sector business, worth an estimated £115m annually. In addition, the link will help support 1300 jobs across Glasgow and Renfrewshire including 650-700 gross new jobs in Paisley town centre.
The Glasgow Airport Rail Link is being promoted by SPT and supported by Transport Scotland.
Since 2004 SPT has consulted widely on its Glasgow Airport Rail Link proposals. SPT’s formal public consultation into the Glasgow Airport Rail Link ran from 1 November 2004 to 28 February 2005 - there were a total of 1638 formal responses. In addition, 284 people attended public meetings and focus groups and 917 people visited the exhibition stands at various locations in Glasgow and Renfrewshire. The formal consultation saw more than 20,000 information leaflets distributed to homes and businesses along the route of the proposed link. A further 15,000 leaflets were distributed on local train services. A series of public exhibitions and meetings have been held and a website has also been created www.spt.co.uk/garl. In late January 2006, SPT sent out more than 12,000 leaflets to people living along the line of the proposed route. The consultation continues.
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