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Brush Class 47 47716 propels a train in push mode
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Public Finance magazine in January 2006 reported at
http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news_details.cfm?News_id=26265
Scottish transport agency given GBP 3 billion to invest
Scotland's new national transport agency will be responsible for a
GBP 3bn programme of investment including new rail and road links,
Transport Minister Tavish Scott announced this week.
Giving details of the role of Transport Scotland, which officially came
into operation on January 1, Scott said it would be the key to
delivering Scotland's devolved transport priorities for the future.
He added: 'With a capital investment programme of GBP 3bn planned over
the next decade, it is vital that we are able to deliver both our rail
and road improvements on time and on budget. Transport Scotland, along
with our transport industry partners, will help us deliver this.'
Planned projects include a GBP 150m refurbishment of Edinburgh's
Waverley Station and, a GBP 160m rail link between Glasgow airport and
the city centre. A draft Bill for the provision of the link was
submitted to the Scottish Parliament this week.
Transport Scotland is a new executive agency and, as part of the
Scottish Executive's enterprise, transport and lifelong learning
department, is directly accountable to ministers.
Its responsibilities include the management of Scotland's trunk road and
railway systems and helping to develop a national transport strategy.
The agency gives Scotland unprecedented control over railway operators
and expenditure. Responsibility for railways was not among the powers
initially devolved to the Scottish Executive and Parliament in 1999.
Transport Scotland chief executive Malcolm Reed said: 'We have an
ambitious and challenging programme ahead and I am confident that with
the resources we now have available we can deliver.
'We are recruiting staff with the professional expertise to help us do
this and want to work more closely with those involved in delivering
transport services.'
The Labour-led Convention of Scottish Local Authorities initially
resisted the creation of a national agency, fearing that it would remove
powers from local government.
However, a Cosla spokesman told Public Finance that it looked forward to
working with the new agency to improve transport infrastructure,
particularly rail travel. 'Cosla has long maintained that power over
railways in Scotland should rest in Scotland,' he said.
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