13 May 2005 10:00 – 12:00
Present
Richard Eccles - Network Rail
Kenneth Hogg - Scottish Executive
Nigel Wunsch - NR
Janet Egdell - SE
Geoff Cook - NR
Anne Dougan - SE
Andrew Burgess - Office of the Rail Regulator
Stephen Clark - SRA)
Peter Fuller - SRA
Apologies
Gerard O’Hanlon, First ScotRail
Agenda Items
Minutes of Last Meeting Action
1. The minutes of the meeting held on 11 April 2005 were approved without amendment.
Progress with Scottish Planning Assessment
2. A
progress update was given on the SPA. This was continuing well while
recognising the challenging timetable for consultation if main holiday
periods were to be avoided.
Progress with RUS and Draft Scoping Paper
3. The
RUS would focus on the existing railway network over the next 5 to 10
years though it would recognise the major infrastructure project
commitments coming on stream such as the airport rail links.
Continuing interfaces between NR and SE on these projects were taking
place outwith the RUS process and would be able to inform it. It was
agreed that the early RUS activity on baselining could help inform
Scottish Ministers on present issues and constraints such as
maintenance, performance and capacity. This would be useful in
identifying and setting priorities for the future. In discussion, it
was agreed that it would be helpful to keep updating the progress
timeline for the various strands of rail planning work.
Comments were taken and agreed on the Draft Scoping Paper.
Progress with Freight Utilisation Strategy
4. It was agreed that this agenda item would be carried forward to the next meeting.
Stakeholder Forum membership and date of meeting
It
was agreed that there would be a wide range of invitees to the first
Stakeholder Forum meeting as this was initially to inform about the
rail planning workstreams and give early warning of the consultations.
It would be led by SE and held in Victoria Quay with participation from
NR and Arup. A date in June adjacent to the next Strategy Steering
Group meeting was proposed.
SE
Lessons Learnt from SPAs and RUSs
A
very informative presentation was provided by Stephen Clark and Peter
Fuller of the SRA on the lessons that had been learnt from previous RPA
and RUS processes.
Levers available in Scotland to influence output on the railways
This paper would be revised with further comments and re-issued for the next meeting.
Dates and locations for future meetings
As
there had been a problem with earlier responses, it was agreed that the
proposed future meeting dates request would be re-issued with a appeal
for early response to get dates set in diaries.
SE
AOB
There was no other business raised.
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE May 2005
