I've had a hectic start to the week, somewhat more so that the usual week, but Monday marked a new stage for Bathgate.
It was the laying of the first stretch of new track to link up Bathgate with Airdrie and to create another through route from Edinburgh to Glasgow. The platforms along the route are developing nicely. The new one at Bathgate will make my journey to the station change as the direct line down Mid Street will be more direct than my current journey down Hopetoun Street and St. David's Street.
The BBC article mentions most of the new and upgraded amenities along the line but fails to mention Blackridge Station. The village to the West of Armadale was overlooked by planners when the route was first planned but with all party backing a campaign was launched to provide the people of Blackridge with a station on the line that was going by them anyway.
While the provision of direct train services from Bathgate to Glasgow and Airdrie to Edinburgh are great aspects of new line, the regular service for Blackridge enhances the residents opportunity to use public transport. There are currently only two direct express buses to Edinburgh in the morning from Bathgate the X1 at 0610 and 0700; the latter arrives in the East End at 0816. But only one back out the 1715. It is hardly encouraging for those who maybe work at the Gyle to use public transport. So a train stopping at Edinburgh Park may well encourage more people out of their cars.
The contractors Balfour Beatty are confident that the track laying and electrification will be completed by December this year, on schedule. Seeing some of the things they have done to work through the snow and flooding recently I'm confident that they will be doing all they can to make sure they do deliver on time.
I personally am looking forward to going straight through to Glasgow without having to worry about the last bus time back to Bathgate in the early evening.
Showing posts with label rail link. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rail link. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Tories Reject GARL
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) are once again not best pleased with the Scottish Tories (or the SNP for that matter). They have decided to side with the SNP in not reinstating the £170m funding for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link back into the 2010-11 budget at the Finance Committee in Holyrood yesterday.
The CBI have in recent weeks been attacking the SNPs budget proposals as not being in the best interests of encouraging much needed growth in the Scottish economy and the decision of the Tories on the Committee to side with the SNP on this issue raise their hackles further. The rail link would have provided 1,300 jobs been a boost to Scotland's second cities business sector and was also an integral part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games plans.
Iain McMillan the Scottish director of the CBI said:
So the Tories are like the SNP unable to finding achievable savings to stimulate the economy and pay for much needed projects. Instead they are content with a while range of measures in the budget that are not an effective use of the money that Holyrood has to spend, with £9m of funding estimated to see through the Referendum Bill to a vote in the Parliament, we have an SNP Government, backed implicitly by the Tories, arguing for Labour in Westminster to make cost savings so as not to cut money available to Scotland, while at the same time they are not prepared to prioritise their own funding issues.
It looks like next months budget round could again be a sticky time for the SNP.
The CBI have in recent weeks been attacking the SNPs budget proposals as not being in the best interests of encouraging much needed growth in the Scottish economy and the decision of the Tories on the Committee to side with the SNP on this issue raise their hackles further. The rail link would have provided 1,300 jobs been a boost to Scotland's second cities business sector and was also an integral part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games plans.
Iain McMillan the Scottish director of the CBI said:
"We always knew the Scottish Tories would be the swing vote on the question of whether GARL should be reinstated."We are very, very disappointed the Conservatives did not see fit in the committee to vote with Labour.
"We are very disappointed that the Scottish Tory party does not appear to share our view that the Scottish Government should root out waste in these austere times in order to release money to allow strategic transport projects like GARL to go ahead."
So the Tories are like the SNP unable to finding achievable savings to stimulate the economy and pay for much needed projects. Instead they are content with a while range of measures in the budget that are not an effective use of the money that Holyrood has to spend, with £9m of funding estimated to see through the Referendum Bill to a vote in the Parliament, we have an SNP Government, backed implicitly by the Tories, arguing for Labour in Westminster to make cost savings so as not to cut money available to Scotland, while at the same time they are not prepared to prioritise their own funding issues.
It looks like next months budget round could again be a sticky time for the SNP.
Saturday, 20 May 2006
BAA Objects to Edinburgh Airport Rail Link
The British Airports Authority has objected to proposals to link Edinburgh Airport to the Scottish Rail network.
Trains already run past the end of the runway on their way north to the Forth Bridge and Glasgow/Edinburgh trains run to the south of the Airport across the A8. But the proposals are the build links from these routes to connect up to a hub near the terminal building. At the present with the exception of the dedicated Airport buses it is impossible to get to Edinburgh Airport by public transport. Buses do go past the exit but it does mean over half a mile of a walk to the terminal.
Strangely BAA are claiming that making their airport more accessible to people by transport other than car users could 'adversely affect' the airport's future operation and growth. Maybe however they are claiming this because it would affect the revenue flow that their new multi-million pound multi-storey car park would return, even if this is now being run by NCP.
Also bizarrely BAA are objecting on the grounds that building the tunnels required to create the links might cause subsidance and affect future expansion of the airport. I'm sorry but that is so lame. On a project of this type any civil engineer worth their salt would ensure that the tunnels would be strong enough to withstand simultaneous multiple landings on top of the tunnel to ensure that the ground would not give way. A argument that doesn't hold a great deal of weight when you consider other airports, Heathrow fow example, where all many of tunnels riddle the site.
However, the main thrust of BAA's objection appears to be the knock-on effect this rail project would have on their own plans for expansion with an eventual second runway. There seems as always with airports and airlines appears to be little consideration to the environmental impact anod seeking how it can me minimalised for the residents and costomers locally that they also serve.
The sooner that airlines contribute fairly for the pollution that they cause and airport operaters also seek to make their sevices easily available to non-car users the better. Once everybody takes responsibilty the more enhanced the chances we can have positive effects on dealing with pollution and fget on with the serious task of combatting climate change.
Trains already run past the end of the runway on their way north to the Forth Bridge and Glasgow/Edinburgh trains run to the south of the Airport across the A8. But the proposals are the build links from these routes to connect up to a hub near the terminal building. At the present with the exception of the dedicated Airport buses it is impossible to get to Edinburgh Airport by public transport. Buses do go past the exit but it does mean over half a mile of a walk to the terminal.
Strangely BAA are claiming that making their airport more accessible to people by transport other than car users could 'adversely affect' the airport's future operation and growth. Maybe however they are claiming this because it would affect the revenue flow that their new multi-million pound multi-storey car park would return, even if this is now being run by NCP.
Also bizarrely BAA are objecting on the grounds that building the tunnels required to create the links might cause subsidance and affect future expansion of the airport. I'm sorry but that is so lame. On a project of this type any civil engineer worth their salt would ensure that the tunnels would be strong enough to withstand simultaneous multiple landings on top of the tunnel to ensure that the ground would not give way. A argument that doesn't hold a great deal of weight when you consider other airports, Heathrow fow example, where all many of tunnels riddle the site.
However, the main thrust of BAA's objection appears to be the knock-on effect this rail project would have on their own plans for expansion with an eventual second runway. There seems as always with airports and airlines appears to be little consideration to the environmental impact anod seeking how it can me minimalised for the residents and costomers locally that they also serve.
The sooner that airlines contribute fairly for the pollution that they cause and airport operaters also seek to make their sevices easily available to non-car users the better. Once everybody takes responsibilty the more enhanced the chances we can have positive effects on dealing with pollution and fget on with the serious task of combatting climate change.
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