Scottish Planning Assessment Part 1 Volume 1

3 Scotland’s Transport Network Today

Purpose of Chapter

This chapter begins by describing the present transport geography of Scotland. It then presents Baseline passenger travel patterns in Scotland, including cross-border. It does this for overall road and rail passenger trips and then for rail, road and coach in more detail. This includes an analysis of rail freight movement patterns. Naturally, rail is examined in most detail including travel patterns into Edinburgh and Glasgow (as well as other significant regional centres), station use, competitiveness of rail passenger service journey times compared to other modes, rail freight movements and access to stations.

The chapter then describes the present transport network in more detail, especially the role of rail within it and the present performance of the rail network and the wider transport system. For rail we examine capacity utilisation across the network, identify the key pinchpoints and their causes, analyse issues associated with rail freight and determine the levels of overcrowding on different passenger services. We summarise this analysis by railway sub-group. This Baseline analysis is a critical building block of the SPA. It provides the basis for subsequent assessment in later stages of this report as well as issues identification during Part 2.

3.1 Present Scottish Transport Geography

3.1.1 Rail Network

Scotland's rail network comprises a mixture of high speed, electrified cross-border routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow from northern England. The inter-urban network in the central belt is twin-track, although the Highland Main Line to Inverness has sections of single track. The important connection between Aberdeen and Inverness is also mainly single track. Glasgow has an extensive suburban network, with many routes electrified. There is an evolving network of commuter routes serving Edinburgh. The rural routes north of Inverness and south of Ayr to Stranraer are single track with passing loops.

Scottish rail services comprise a mixture of cross-border passenger and freight services to and from England, inter-urban passenger services connecting the main cities; extensive suburban passenger networks serving Glasgow and Edinburgh, rural lines primarily focused on Inverness, and, to a lesser extent, south west Scotland, and freight services within Scotland. Service frequencies vary from every 15 minutes, to some rural routes with just three trains per weekday in each direction. The interaction between the natural convergence of the Scottish rail network (Figure 3.1 overleaf) and its passenger and freight services onto Glasgow and Edinburgh and those cities’ suburban rail services, means some route sections have high frequencies. For example, Edinburgh Waverley to Haymarket has up to 15 passenger trains per hour (tph) and Hyndland to Partick in Glasgow has 12tph.

3.1.1.1 Cross-Border Routes

Scotland has two main, electrified cross-border routes:

• the West Coast Main Line (WCML) from Glasgow and Edinburgh via Carstairs to Carlisle, the North West, West Midlands and London Euston;
• the East Coast Main Line (ECML) to Edinburgh via Berwick-on-Tweed, the North East, Yorkshire and Peterborough from London Kings Cross.

Massive investment to upgrade the WCML has taken place. The route will be upgraded to permit 125mph operation between Preston and Glasgow. The improved line speeds will cut journey times to London to about 4 hours 10 minutes, offering a step change in cross-border connectivity via the route. These improvements will mean a journey time of less than 4 hours to Birmingham. Virgin West Coast (VWC) operates passenger services to London. VXC passenger trains operate via the WCML to the Midlands, and South and South West of England, between Glasgow and Carlisle, with trains diverging at Carstairs Junction to Edinburgh.

VXC services depart hourly from Edinburgh, and almost hourly from Glasgow. The route is also important for cross-border rail traffic, including inter-modal and automotive.

Figure 3.1: The Rail Network

Source: Arup

The ECML to Edinburgh was electrified in the 1990s, and various schemes were implemented to reduce journey times south of Edinburgh. It is understood that the SRA undertook a review of the issues affecting the ECML and Network Rail proposes to take this study further and carry out an RUS in 2005/06.

Carlisle (on the WCML) and Berwick (on the ECML) play important roles as gateway stations to the more rural areas of the Scottish Borders (and Dumfries & Galloway from Carlisle).

The Glasgow-Kilmarnock-Carlisle or Glasgow South Western (GSW) route provides a third cross-border route. It is not electrified and converges with the WCML at Gretna Junction. Whilst there is a limited passenger service (8 trains per day), the route is a busy freight corridor and essential particularly in enabling opencast and imported coal movements to England. There are also 3 services between Dumfries and Carlisle, and 2 services from Girvan/Stranraer to Carlisle, with connections to/from Glasgow. It is also an important diversionary route for the WCML.

Network Rail recently confirmed funding to allow route clearance for the diversion of diesel-hauled VWC trains via the GSW. The route has significant capacity constraints as discussed later in this chapter.

3.1.1.2 Inter-Urban Passenger Network

The core of the inter-urban network is the frequent service between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh via Croy and Falkirk High. First ScotRail (FSR) operates services every 15 minutes during the daytime, with a journey time of about 50 minutes. Frequencies were increased from 2tph to 4tph during the previous franchise. All trains call at Falkirk High and Haymarket, with alternate trains calling additionally at Croy or Polmont and Linlithgow.

The alternative inter-urban passenger route between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central is operated by Great North Eastern Railways (GNER) as part of a longer distance cross-border service to London Kings Cross. Trains operate about every two hours from Glasgow Central, calling at Motherwell en-route to Edinburgh Waverley. Virgin CrossCountry (VXC) also operates a single service per day via Motherwell between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central.

Trains from Glasgow Queen Street & Edinburgh to Aberdeen & Inverness also form part of the inter-urban network. There are hourly services to Aberdeen from both Glasgow and Edinburgh and some trains are extended to Dyce. There are five trains per day from Edinburgh to Inverness, with a further three from Glasgow. The majority of these inter-urban services are operated by FSR, although GNER and VXC operate a small number of trains to Inverness (GNER only) and Aberdeen. The inter-urban network also includes FSR’s services from Inverness to Aberdeen about every two hours.

Air-conditioned Class 170 Turbostars are generally deployed on inter-urban routes to provide a reasonably high standard of passenger comfort.

3.1.1.3 Glasgow and Edinburgh Suburban Networks

Glasgow has an extensive commuter network covering 334 route miles with 180 stations, and is the largest in the UK outside London, both in terms of usage and network coverage. About 43m passengers per annum use this suburban network, which is just over two thirds of the total passenger demand on FSR. The network comprises:

• electric services from the Ayrshire coastal towns that terminate at Glasgow Central;
• a complex pattern of electric services from North West to East and South East Glasgow that operate via both Queen Street and Central Low Level stations;
• electric services via the Cathcart Circle from Glasgow Central;
• diesel routes that terminate at the High Level platforms at both central Glasgow termini.

Figure 3.2: The Glasgow Suburban Network

Source: SPT

The success of the network can be seen in the 31% rail mode share of journeys to the city centre during the peak, which is only just below that achieved in London. SPT provides financial support, equating to £1.71 per passenger journey¹³.

The Edinburgh suburban network has evolved more recently through a series of re-openings. This includes the re-opening of the Bathgate line in the mid 1980s for passenger services. More recently, extension of passenger services from Bathgate/Dunblane to Newcraighall has created ‘Edinburgh Crossrail’. The Edinburgh suburban network also includes services to North Berwick, Dunblane and around the Fife Circle.

Figure 3.3: Edinburgh Commuter Routes

Source: Arup

3.1.1.4 Rural Routes

There are several rural routes in Scotland including:

• the Far North Lines north of Inverness to Wick, Thurso, and the Kyle of Lochalsh;
• the West Highland Line north of Glasgow to Oban, Fort William and Mallaig;
• the route south of Ayr to Stranraer via Giruan.

These provide important social and economic connections to key population centres including Inverness, and Fort William, as well providing important connections to the ferry ports at Stranraer, Oban, Mallaig and Scrabster (near Wick). Some of these routes are also popular with tourists. Service frequencies are relatively low with 3-4 trains per day on some routes, generally operating on single track alignments with passing loops.

3.1.1.5 Operators

There are four passenger rail franchises operating in Scotland. The principal operator is First ScotRail which operates about 95% of all passenger services in Scotland. First Group were awarded the franchise in October 2004 for seven years, with the possibility of an extension for an additional 3 years if performance targets are reached. In addition to the mix of commuter, inter-urban and rural services described earlier, First ScotRail also operates the overnight sleeper services from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William to London.

Sea Containers through GNER recently retained the Intercity East Coast (ICEC) franchise. The new franchise was awarded for ten years, with a break point of seven years if performance targets are not met. The franchisee operates hourly intercity services from Edinburgh via the ECML to London, with extra trains during the peaks. Some of these trains are extended beyond Edinburgh to Glasgow Central (about every 2 hours), Aberdeen (4 trains per day, although one service starts at Leeds and only goes back to Edinburgh) and Inverness (1 train per day).

VWC operates servces to Glasgow via the WCML to London. There are hourly departures from Glasgow Central, with about half of the trains calling at Motherwell en-route to Carlisle. Journey times are about 85 minutes between Carlisle and Glasgow. Currently, the franchise is being operated under a management contract.

VXC operates hourly services from Edinburgh to Northern England, the Midlands and the Southern England via Berwick, with departures about every hour via Carstairs. There are 2 trains per day extended from Edinburgh to Dundee, with a further service starting at Aberdeen. There are also departures from Glasgow Central via the WCML to Manchester, Birmingham, and the South/South-West of England. Although this franchise was initially awarded for 15 years in 1997, it is currently being operated as a management contract, with the SRA taking the revenue risk. Negotiations to re-specify this franchise were suspended in August 2004 when no agreement could be reached. The timescale for re-letting this franchise is uncertain.

3.1.2 Road Network

There is an extensive motorway network serving the principal towns and cities in the Central Belt. The principal highway connection between Glasgow and Edinburgh is the M8/A8. There are committed proposals to upgrade the remaining dual carriageway sections of the A8 to motorway standard. East of Coatbridge towards Edinburgh, the motorway is dual two lanes, although there are up to five lanes in each direction when the M8 acts as an urban motorway through the middle of Glasgow. The M8 also serves Glasgow Airport.

The M90 provides a fast connection from Inverkeithing, north of the Forth Road Bridge to Perth. The M9 connects Edinburgh to Dunblane, and converges with the M80 motorway south west of Stirling. These motorways are predominantly dual two lanes. There are also other short sections of motorway including the M77 (south west of Glasgow), M73 (east of Glasgow connecting the M74 with the A80), M876 (north of Falkirk connecting the M80 and the M9) and M898 (Erskine Bridge).

The motorway network in Scotland is supplemented by dual carriageways. The most important include the A9 north of Dunblane to Perth, and the A90 east of Perth to Dundee and Aberdeen. Parts of the A8 to Greenock, the A82 to Dumbarton and the A77/A78 north of Ayr, the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass, and the A92 in Fife are also dualled.

The A9 also provides a fast link north of Perth to Inverness, although sections of this route are only single carriageway. The A82 is an important link connecting Glasgow with the ferry ports on the west coast of Scotland including Oban (via the A85) and Fort William. The A77 and A75 routes provide the ferry connections from Stranraer to Glasgow and Dumfries respectively, whilst the A835 connects Ullapool to the Western Isles with Inverness. Some of the routes in the Highlands and Islands are single track only roads, although many of the A roads have been improved, such as the A9 north of Inverness. There are several strategic road bridges, of which the A90 Forth Bridge, A898 Erskine Bridge and the A92 Tay Bridge are tolled. The A87 Skye Bridge and the A876 Kincardine Bridge are toll-free.

The principal cross-border route to England is the M74/A74(M) south from Glasgow. South of Abington, the road has recently been upgraded to motorway standard to Gretna providing a fast link with the English motorway network (M6) at Carlisle. The majority of the route is dual three lanes. The alternative cross-border roads include the A7, A68, A697 and the A1. These routes are predominantly single carriageway, and generally offer slower journey times than the M74/A74(M).

Figure 3.4: The Road Network

Source: Arup

3.1.3 Airports

Table 3.1 illustrates the growth in passenger volumes at the top five Scottish airports between 1993 and 2003. The two busiest airports in Scotland in terms of passenger throughput are Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both airports offer a range of flights to London, regional airports in the UK, Europe and the US. Glasgow Airport also operates longer distance flights to the Middle East. Several low-cost carriers including EasyJet have established routes from both airports that have contributed to the buoyant growth over the last 10 years, particularly at Edinburgh.

Table 3.1: Annual Passenger Throughput at Top 5 Scottish Airports (millions)

Source: Scottish Transport Statistics No. 23: 2004 Edition

There are several smaller but important airports in Scotland: Aberdeen, Inverness and Prestwick.

Aberdeen Airport has experienced relatively modest growth over the last 10 years, reflecting the plateauing of growth in the off-shore oil and gas industry.

The commencement of Ryanair flights from Prestwick Airport has contributed to the rapid growth in passengers, with nearly 2 million passengers per annum compared to just 10,000 in 1993.

About 400,000 passengers per annum used Inverness Airport in 2003, and new routes to London Heathrow and Stockholm were introduced in 2004. Growth at the airport is continuing.

About 21% of air passengers use bus to Edinburgh Airport¹⁴, although this is forecast to rise to 25% by 2007, primarily through marketing initiatives. The proportion of passengers using public transport to Glasgow Airport is expected to increase from 8.5% to 12%¹⁵. At present, according to BAA, the passenger catchments for Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports are relatively local; for example, there are significant proportions of passengers to these airports originating from Lothian and Strathclyde respectively.

Only Prestwick has a direct rail connection (a station). About 30% of passengers arrive by rail, and continuing growth could necessitate station and service improvements.

Air travel has an important role in connecting Scotland’s cities to England and Wales. Figure 3.5 shows the numbers of flights per day from the top 5 Scottish airports to English and Welsh cities. Air’s role in this market is two-fold:

• providing connections to London’s airports for domestic business and leisure travellers and those connecting to international flights; and
• providing less frequent levels of service to other English and Welsh towns and cities, that nevertheless provide important connections for business and leisure purposes.

Figure 3.5: Flights from Scottish to English and Welsh Airports

Source: BAA/Arup

Figure 3.6 shows the important role of air in connecting the Scottish Islands directly to mainland cities, especially Glasgow and Edinburgh. These provide a faster alternative to the use of ferry connections.

Figure 3.6: Frequency of Daily Flights to Highlands and Islands Airports

Source: BAA/Arup

3.1.4 Ports

3.1.4.1 Freight

We consider port activity in terms of freight tonnage and passenger flows using the ferries. Figure 3.7 illustrates the total foreign and domestic traffic by port and wharf, measured in thousand tonnes for 2003, combined for inbound and outbound flows. The Forth ports (Grangemouth, Rosyth, Leith) are the largest Scottish port when measured in terms of tonnes moved, with 38.75m tonnes in 2003.

Sullom Voe (Shetland Isles) also handled over 26m tonnes in 2003, whilst ports on the Orkney Islands handled over 14m tonnes. The throughput using the West Coast ports and wharves was smaller, with 9.2m moved at the Clyde Ports, and a further 5m tonnes from Glensanda wharf.

Figure 3.7: Port Traffic

Source: SE/Arup, 2003

Note: SE data categorises Hunterston as part of the "Clyde Ports"

It is also worth highlighting the principal commodities at the major ports. The Forth Port is the second busiest in the UK in terms of the quantity of bulk fuel handled, and the largest total for liquefied gas. Sullom Voe and Forth are the second and third busiest ports in terms of crude oil, whilst the Clyde Ports is the fourth busiest in terms of coal traffic. This is mainly through Hunterston on the coast to the north of Ayr.

3.1.4.2 Passenger Ferries

Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) operates the majority of domestic passenger ferry routes on the west coast of Scotland. Other operators serve the Orkney and Shetland Isles. Many of these routes are subsidised as lifeline services by the SE.

Overall, There were about 7.56m passenger journeys between the Scottish Mainland and the Islands in 2003. This was a 10% increase compared with 2000. About 5.2m passenger trips were to the Clyde and Western Isles. Most of the remainder were to the Orkneys and Shetlands.

The busiest CalMac routes in 2003 were Ardrossan to Brodick, Largs to Cumbrae Slip, Oban to Craignure and Wemyss Bay to Rothesay. Each route attracted more than 500,000 passengers. CalMac routes demonstrating the strongest growth since 2000 included Uig-Tarbet-Lochmaddy (199%), Tobermory-Kilchoan (59%), Barra-Eriskay (46%, although this service only commenced in 2002), Mallaig-Small Isles (44%) and Tarbert-Portavadie (32%).

SPT now operates two routes between Renfrew and Yoker and Gourock to Kilcreggan. There are:

• hourly ferries between Gourock and Dunoon (3tph to Glasgow Central);
• departures every 45 minutes from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay (with hourly rail services to Glasgow Central);
• 8 ferries per day from Mallaig to Armadale (with 4 trains per day to Fort William, 3 continue to Glasgow);
• 6 ferries per day Oban to Craignure, 5 to Lismore, daily service to Coll and Tiree, 2 per day to Castlebay, (3 trains to Glasgow);
• 6 ferries per day from Ardrossan to Brodick (hourly rail service to Glasgow);
• generally every 30 minutes between Largs and Cumbrae Slip (hourly rail service to Glasgow).

Ferries run to the Shetlands from Aberdeen and to the Orkneys from Aberdeen, Scrabster and the Shetlands. On these routes, Northlink Ferries carried about 250,000 passengers in 2003, with 310,000 using Orkney Ferries, and 700,000 using ferries operated by Shetland Council.

In 2003 there were 490,000 vehicles and 2.3 million passengers using the ferry routes between Scotland and Northern Ireland¹⁶. About 140,000 vehicles departed Cairnryan in 2003, which is a significant reduction compared with the 183,000 vehicles that used the port in 1998. About 240,000 vehicles used Stranraer in 2003. Similar to Cairnryan, there has been a significant reduction in throughput from 400,000 cars since the mid 1990s. Changes to the number and availability of ferries has contributed to the reduction in passenger numbers, although the introduction of the low cost airlines from a range of Scottish and English airports to Northern Ireland has also reduced the size of the ferry market.

A ferry also operates from Rosyth to Zeebrugge; this forms Scotland’s only direct passenger ferry link to Europe. Almost 200,000 passengers and 43,000 vehicles used this route in 2003.