The Scottish rail sector is set to receive an investment of £120m of Government funding through the next 3 years, to invest into the electrification of the network. This is hoped to reduce the usage of diesel-powered locomotives, thus greatly cutting out carbon and aiding in the fight to achieve net zero.
The 3 years of investment will see the implementation of:
- Six new feeder stations at strategic locations across the network.
- A further nine sites upgraded to increase the resilience and reliability of the infrastructure for the operation of electrically powered passenger and freight traffic.
The new feeder stations will increase the resilience of the existing network as they will allow new connections to the national grid to increase overall capability of the 25kV electrified network. This will allow for optimal growth within passenger and freight travel for the sector, whilst cutting the railways carbon footprint at the same time. Scotland’s rail investment is creating a greener line that will spearhead ambitions to decarbonise the passenger rail network by 2035.
A contract to deliver the initial phase of work has been awarded to SPL Powerlines.
Scottish Government Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth said:
“Increasing power supply into the Scottish railway network is critical to enabling our ambitions to run more cleaner and greener electric trains.
“This investment further demonstrates this Government’s commitment to creating a railway for Scotland that is fit for the future, for the benefit of employees and passengers. We want a rail infrastructure for Scotland that helps to cut emissions, to provide sustainable travel options for people and for freight, and which provides fair work and highly skilled employment opportunities.”
Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway said:
“In tandem with the Scottish Government’s ambitions to increase the number of electric trains running on Scotland’s Railway, there comes an increase in the demand for power to operate these services.
“Investing in the power supply infrastructure will not only make the current electric network more resilient, it also delivers the significant growth in capacity needed as we continue to electrify our railway.
“Introducing quieter, quicker and greener electric trains on more routes across the country will enable both passengers and lineside communities to experience all the benefits that electrification of the rail network brings.”
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