06.01.15
Glasgow Airport rail link work to start soon
Work to build a new rail link between Glasgow Airport and the city centre is “vital” to ensuring the airport retains its position as the “gateway to Scotland”.
This is according to Cllr Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, who stated that thanks to the £1.3bn City Deal, signed last year, work will soon start on a new rail link between the airport and the city centre.
“This improved connectivity will benefit passengers and businesses. But more than that, it will bring new jobs during construction and significant benefits to the economy of west central Scotland,” Matheson told the Glasgow Evening Times on a visit to the airport’s newly refurbished terminal building.
Glasgow and Clyde Valley’s City Deal provides Glasgow and its surrounding councils with £1.13bn to invest in projects that will create jobs and provide long-term infrastructure. The UK government is pledging £500m, to be matched by the Scottish government.
One of the key projects to be funded through this deal is the rail link. Nearly eight years ago, the Scottish Parliament passed the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Act 2007, which would have allowed trains to run between Central Station and the airport along a new railway. However, the £210m scheme was scrapped three years later as part of spending cuts.
But, ahead of last year’s Scottish Referendum, prime minister David Cameron and Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “Glasgow plans to create a £1.1bn infrastructure fund that will support projects such as the city centre-airport rail link, major improvements to the region's roads and bus network, and the development of new employment sites.
“The UK government is offering £500m of new funding to support this genuinely ambitious proposal, with local authorities in the region providing a further £130m. Building on this significant investment we are inviting the Scottish government to match the UK government contribution.”
Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, added that improving transport access to the airport is essential for its future success.
(Image: c. David Cheskin)
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