9 January 2006

Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill set for submission today

SPT - the organisation promoting the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) - is set to submit its Private Bill promoting the building of a rail link between Glasgow Central and Glasgow Airport to the Scottish Parliament today (Monday 9 January).

The Bill will be submitted to the Private Bills Unit (PBU) of the Scottish Parliament. Once the PBU is satisfied that the Bill is ready to proceed, it will be "introduced" to Parliament.

SPT Chair, Cllr Alistair Watson, said: "Today is a historic day for the west of Scotland and the country as a whole. We have been crying out for a fast, direct link from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Airport for many years now and I am delighted that our proposal has now reached the Parliamentary stages.

"The building of this Glasgow Airport Rail Link would represent a real step-change in the west of Scotland's transport infrastructure and enhance Glasgow's reputation as an international destination, both throughout the UK and overseas."

He added: "Although our final bill has now been submitted to the Scottish Parliament we will continue to work closely with individuals and groups with an interest in this project not only to address their issues but also to ensure that they have the most up-to-date information on the project's status as the Bill passes through Parliament.

Following the introduction of the Private Bill to the Scottish Parliament, an official objection period will begin and objectors will have 60 days to register their concerns.

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. The upgrade of the Shields Junction to Paisley Gilmour Street section will also enable more services to be developed for the Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes.

SPT's formal public consultation into the Glasgow Airport Rail Link ran from 1 November 2004 to 28 February 2005 - there was 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 consultation has seen more that 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

The consultation continues. SPT will be talking to businesses, local people and other affected groups throughout the passage of the Bill in Parliament, in the lead up and throughout the construction period and afterwards. Liaison groups and forums will be set up to allow community groups and individuals to speak to SPT and the contractors.

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

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 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. In addition, the link would support the Glasgow City region's conference sector business, worth an estimated £115m annually.

Once the bill is introduced, it will be available to view on the Scottish Parliament's website.

SPT is not responsible for the content of external sites.

ends