R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

Scotland
We are developing on
a commercial basis
our key West Coast
Main Line and East
Coast Main Line
routes linking
Scotland and England
108
9.1
9.1 Introduction
Following the favourable response to the first Scottish
Network Management Statement in 1998,and the
establishment of a Scottish Parliament, we have committed
to provide an annual Scottish edition of the NMS.
In common with the national NMS,the Scottish
Statement describes how we are planning the future
development of the railway network in partnership with our
customers,the Government,and other organisations.
However, for ease of reference by local communities,it
provides a more focused look at the network in Scotland.
Details for obtaining copies of the Scottish Statement are
provided on page 14.
In this section, we provide an overview of our plans to
sustain and develop the rail network within Scotland.
Although the Scottish rail network is managed on the same
terms as the rest of the British network,it has distinctive
challenges which require imaginative responses from the rail
industry and from Scottish transport policymakers within
local and national governments.
We are developing on a commercial basis our key West
Coast Main Line (WCML) and East Coast Main Line (ECML)
routes linking Scotland and England.All the freight services in
Scotland also operate commercially and we, along with our
customers,anticipate that these will expand further.
Scotland’s geography and population settlement mean that
much of the internal Scottish network will continue to
require social support.
We are already nurturing innovative partnership
opportunities in Scotland.There is a pending application by
Railtrack and Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) for
Private Finance Initiative funding for enhancements on the
Larkhall–Milngavie service.The opening of a line to Larkhall is
potentially the first example of private–public partnership for
an urban railway project.Building on this experience, we
intend to play our part in delivering the Government’s stated
goal of a truly integrated transport system for Scotland.
The track access charges paid by the train operators to
us,ensure maintenance and renewal of the existing Scottish
rail network.However, the provision of new facilities such as
stations or route reopenings in Scotland do not usually
provide sufficient revenues to support the cost of
investment.
As with the rest of the network,the past 12 months
have brought a deeper understanding of the requirements of
our customers in Scotland (SPT and train operators) and
how these can be delivered,including the provision of a rail
network ready for doubling the existing service between
Edinburgh and Glasgow by September this year.