Rail Infrastructure Strategy consultation launched

Rail stakeholders and the public are being given the opportunity to have their say on future rail prioritisation at a series of workshops launching this week.

The consultation, which gets underway on Thursday 17^th November will be open for three months. It will be used to inform the development of the Scottish Government’s High Level Output Specification (the “HLOS”) and broader rail investment strategy.

During the consultation period, workshops will be held at key locations across the country. This will reflect all distinct routes and markets that Scotland’s railways serve, to further engage with local stakeholders directly, and understand the needs and priorities of rail customers in these areas.

Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a strategy for rail services that meets the needs of our customers now, as well as respond to the challenges that we are likely to face over the next 10 years. This includes growing passenger numbers that will place further demands on the railway network.

“The recent refresh of our National Transport Strategy confirmed our key strategic outcomes: to improve journey times and connection, reduce emissions and improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of the transport network in Scotland. These aims have been embedded in the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper franchise contracts and will continue to drive our approach.

“This consultation is a real opportunity for interested parties to help shape our future approach to the prioritisation, specification and funding of key rail industry outputs and targets, including core performance measures, as well as the general approach taken to determine future rail infrastructure investment priorities.

“We welcome comments from all stakeholders, passengers and members of the public with an interest in Scotland’s railways and I look forward to attending one of the workshop events myself in the new year.”

The results from this consultation will help to inform the Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) for Control Period 6, covering the five-year period to March 2024. The HLOS, due to be submitted to the Office of Rail and Road by June 2017, will set out the Scottish Government’s commitment to improving performance, reducing journey times and increasing the capacity and capability of the Scottish rail network. 

The consultation can be found on the Scottish Government’s Citizen Space website at: https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/rail-policy/rail-infrastructure-strategy-from-2019

The closing date for responses is Friday 24th February. While exact timings and venues are currently being finalised, those wishing to attend can register their interest by emailing   Rail.Infrastructure.Strategy@transport.gov.scot

Workshop dates: