Green Wins Milngavie Rail Redualling Breakthrough
Local Green MSP Ross Greer has secured a major breakthrough in his campaign to have the Milngavie rail line redualled, securing Scottish Government commitment and funding to review the line before the end of the year, with specific consideration given to relaying the second track.
The budget deal struck between the Green MSPs and the Scottish Government includes a £45 million climate package of which £5 million is to be spent on three rail improvement schemes, including Milngavie. The agreement includes a commitment to work up detailed plans for re-dualling.
Greer reached this agreement with the government as part of budget negotiations with the Green MSPs. These negotiations also secured free bus travel for local under 19s, starting from January next year, and an additional millions in funding for East Dunbartonshire Council over what the SNP had proposed.
The line to Milngavie was reduced to single track in 1989, and since then an increase in demand has seen the line failing to meet the requirements of 4 trains an hour. In recent years, it has frequently been the worst performing line in Scotland, with the proportion of trains arriving into Milngavie on time dropping to less than one-in-four. A 2018 report by AllanRail consultancy, commissioned by Ross Greer, found that redualling would greatly improve punctuality and could be done without any major technical difficulties. Greer had since presented this report to the Transport Secretary, raised it with the First Minister and secured the support of all three rail unions and of neighbouring councils whose own rail services are often disrupted by problems on the Milngavie line.
Greer commented:
“This is a major victory for commuters in Bearsden & Milngavie and beyond. I’ve been pushing for redualling the line since I was elected and I’m delighted to have secured this major progress towards it this week. This budget agreement will remove the biggest hurdle standing in the way of the getting the line redualled. My report showed in 2018 that relaying the second track will work and that it can be done cheaply and quickly. This is now closer than ever to being realised.
With the government now committed to making a decision before the end of the year, local commuters, businesses and everyone else with an interest need to get involved with our campaign, to ensure a full commitment to redualling is eventually made. We have come so far and I’m more optimistic than ever that we will finally achieve this much needed improvement.”