Funding gets stations regeneration on track

Funding worth over £168k will breathe new life into a number of Scottish rail stations said Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson.

The Minister was speaking as he announced details of successful applications to the Station Community Regeneration Fund - a £1 million pot of money to help create new businesses and premises for local projects.

Five projects across the Scottish rail network have successfully secured funding from the scheme including a heritage centre at Cupar and a charity shop at Kilmarnock.

Mr Stevenson said:

"The Stations Community Regeneration Fund is an excellent example of how communities are benefitting from the ScotRail Franchise.

"By re-investing in the station environment and bringing redundant buildings back to life, we are opening up new employment opportunities while communities benefit through the creation of new local facilities.

“These five projects are ideal examples of the type of investment we can offer as we re-open the scheme to the next round of applications.”

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail said:

“We welcome these successful applications which open up new possibilities across Scotland and underpin our commitment to put stations at the heart of communities."

Launched by the Transport Minister 12 months ago, funding is available from Transport Scotland to contribute towards the costs of structural repairs and to match fund up to 50% of the costs of fitting out station premises for their intended use.

The next round of applications close in October 2010 and anyone seeking more information should contact ScotRail at SCRF@firstgroup.com or by telephone on 0845 601 5929.

The scheme is one of 28 initiatives which will benefit from an investment fund of more than £70 million, managed by Transport Scotland, which has been created to improve Scotland's railways.

Funding Awards

Station	Proposal Use	Agreed SCRF funding	Applicants Estimated Total Project Cost
Cupar	Heritage Centre	£37K	£70K
Kilmarnock	Charity shop	£40K	£115K
Dundee	Headquarters for New Scottish Arts	£59.5K	£63K
Dumbarton Central	Café	£24k	£31K
Kinghorn	Artist studio	£7.5K	£15K

Less traffic for communities as M80 project reaches milestone

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson today saw the first section of tarmac being laid on a stretch of the new M80 motorway which will reduce traffic through several central Scotland communities by 70 per cent.Transport Minister and Hugh
O'Connor on-site

An eight kilometre section of new motorway, which is being constructed off the line of the existing road, will remove around 45,000 vehicles a day from the existing A80 between Mollinsburn and Stepps, helping communities in Moodiesburn, Chryston and Muirhead by reducing emissions and improving their quality of life.

In addition, when completed the new motorway will help reduce journey times for traffic using the main artery from the Highlands and the North East to Glasgow and the south by 30-40 per cent (up to 15 minutes) in peak periods.

Stewart Stevenson said:

“Anyone driving along the A80 between Stepps and Haggs cannot fail to notice the very significant work being undertaken to upgrade this major arterial route for the whole of the country.

“The start of the tarmac going down on the new eight kilometre section between Mollinsburn and Stepps is a major milestone in this project. People living along this section of the existing A80 can look forward next year to 45,000 fewer vehicles a day passing through their community, with the consequential improvement in the environment in these areas.

“Because we have been very careful to require our contractor to maintain two-lanes open in each direction, the peaktime congestion faced during construction is the self same congestion that makes this upgrade so vital to the economy and communities. It is why this road is so urgently needed.

“However, I am aware that the nature of some of this work, being carried out on a road that continues to carry over 76,000 vehicles a day has led to some additional disruption for motorists. I want to thank them for their patience and assure them that the contractor is taking all steps to keep any delays to a minimum as the work progresses. However the first priority must be to maintain a safe environment for both road users and road workers.

“When completed next year the £320 million M80 Stepps to Haggs project will bring improved journey times, reliability and safety for people using this busy route. It will cut journey times during peak periods, by 30 to 40 percent, saving motorists up to 15 minutes each way.”

Hugh O’Connor, HMG General Manager said:

“It is fair to say that the travelling public and local communities will be very aware of the works being undertaken to upgrade the existing ‘online’ section of the A80 to motorway standard. However very few will be aware of the works and the progress being made ‘offline’ on the new section of motorway linking Stepps to the new M73 interchange at Mollinsburn .

“This new section is progressing well and I am pleased to say that laying this first stretch of tarmac is indeed a ‘key milestone’ for the M80 team . This is another important step towards completion of the missing link in the major route between Glasgow and Stirling.”

M80 Mollinsburn – Stepps: Facts and figures

• Traffic flows on the existing A80 between Mollinsburn and Stepps are predicted to reduce by over 70%, from around 62000 vehicles per day to 17000 vehicles per day
• The new 8 kilometre section between Mollinsburn and Stepps includes 8 bridges and 11 culverts to carry 6 local roads and footways over the new motorway and 7 watercourses and roads under the new road
• Excavation for this new section of road required 1,175,000 cubic metres of earth to be removed (this is enough to completely fill the bowl of the new wembley stadium), which was reused on other parts of the project or for infilling disused quarries
• Some 131,000 tonnes of asphalt will be used in this section of the road

Forth Replacement Crossing project a step closer after backing from MSPs

The Forth Replacement Crossing project moved a step closer today after MSPs backed the Forth Crossing Bill to go forward to the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny.

The Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament by Scottish Government Ministers in November 2009, contains proposals for the Forth Replacement Crossing, which would see a new 2.7km bridge and a number of road connections built and upgraded in Scotland's biggest infrastructure project for a generation.

Following the Stage 1 debate, MSPs voted overwhelmingly in favour to carry the Bill forward to Stage 2, where individual objections will be considered in greater detail.

Speaking after the debate, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said:

"This is an important milestone for the Forth Replacement Crossing. There is now near universal agreement that this project, the biggest Scottish infrastructure project for a generation, is vital to the sustainable growth Scotland's economy.

"The case for this project could not be more compelling and the Scottish Government is committed to seeing the Forth Replacement Crossing delivered on time and on budget by 2016. I now look forward to seeing the Forth Crossing Bill progress to Stage 2 where these proposals can be considered in greater detail.

"There is, clearly, still a significant amount of work to do and we have made a number of changes and commitments on the project based on objections received and recommendations in the Forth Crossing Bill committee's Stage 1 report. These changes will strengthen our commitments to promoting sustainable transport and minimising unnecessary impact on local communities."

The proposed changes to the project announced by Mr Stevenson include:

The development of a Public Transport Strategy, in conjunction with SEStrans and local authorities, that seeks to ensure integration with public transport and encourage modal shift from cars to public transport, which includes a commitment to work with Fife Council to deliver a park and ride facility at Halbeath.

The formation of a noise liaison group with the relevant local authorities to monitor and control noise during construction, and the development of a Memorandum of Understanding on noise and vibration matters that will establish how works will be planned and monitored to minimise noise.

Reducing the normal core working hours for road construction on the project to take place between 8am and 7pm, with a 30 minute start up time.

A commitment to further explore with West Lothian Council and Newton Community Council ways in which potential traffic impacts in the village may be mitigated.