31 August 2006
SPT holds further round of meetings with community groups on GARL
SPT is holding a further round of meetings with community groups this week in a bid to give residents, businesses and interested parties another opportunity to air their views on the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL).
Residents and businesses that would be affected by the GARL track upgrade along the existing railway corridor between Glasgow and Paisley will meet in Govan's Elder Park Library on Tuesday 1 August at 6.30pm while on Thursday 3 August representatives from firms in the Murray Industrial Estate area in Paisley and business interest leaders will gather in Paisley Town Hall at 1.30pm for a special business liaison group.
Last month residents from Paisley North Community Council, local residents' associations and local politicians met officials from SPT in Paisley to discuss the issues of residents from the main streets surrounding St James Park in Paisley while on 4 July a community liaison group was held for playing field users including representatives of the leagues, sport and other recreation bodies.
A first round of community liaison groups was held in March. Councillor Alistair Watson, chair of SPT, said that community liaison groups were playing a vital role in keeping residents and businesses abreast of any developments.
"From the beginning we have placed community consultation at the very core of our efforts to promote the airport rail link and it was because of that strong commitment that we extended the period of the formal public consultation in February 2005. The first round of liaison groups proved a very successful means of continuing our consultation with interested individuals and groups and were very helpful in addressing some of the issues and concerns of local residents and businesses.
"This is part of our ongoing consultation with those affected by GARL. We will provide businesses and residents with regular updates regarding the progress of the project as it moves through the Scottish Parliament."
He added: "If the Bill is approved by the Parliament, these groups will continue to provide access to the project team during detailed design and construction."
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. The consultation continues. In late January 2006, SPT sent out more than 12,000 leaflets to people living along the line of the proposed route.
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 is considered in detail. A report is then 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.
GARL is estimated to cost up to £210m and could, if there were no delays in the various statutory processes, be complete by end 2009. SPT agrees that operation by 2010 is more likely given the complexity of the project, the approvals required and the project programme that is being continuously developed.
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.
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