This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
£3 billion to ‘build better transport’
05/03/2003
The Executive is to support investment in public
transport infrastructure by taking a longer term strategic
approach to financial planning backed up with £3 billion
over ten years.
New measures will see financial planning extend beyond
the standard three year budgeting cycle and include some
additional end year flexibility to cater for major
projects.
The spending figures are outlined in 'Building Better
Transport', which charts the progress made on delivering
the Executive's transport priorities over the past year and
fulfils a commitment made when the Transport Delivery
Report was published in 2002, that a progress update would
be given.
Transport Minister Iain Gray said:
"Getting Scotland growing again is a priority for the
Executive, we have listened to business and what businesses
tell us they need is a first class transport infrastructure
to support economic growth and we are working hard to
deliver that.
"The Executive has made great progress in tackling the
transport under-investment of previous decades and has
shifted the balance of investment towards public transport
and more sustainable transport.
"The Scottish budget last September represented a
watershed in transport expenditure. By 2006, it will
provide almost £1 billion a year to transport, with at
least £300 million of that devoted to infrastructure
improvements. This means that there will be at least £3
billion available over the next ten years to transform our
transport infrastructure.
"That funding now gives us the security to plan for the
longer term. We are developing a strategic investment
approach which will enable the Executive to make
commitments to major capital projects that extend beyond
the standard three year budgeting cycle.
"There will also be a new approach to the management of
financial flows over the longer term with some additional
end year flexibility to cater for major capital projects
such as the first tram route for Edinburgh and a Western
Pperipheral Route for Aberdeen.
"This will allow better, proactive management of long
term projects. Over the next 10 years we will be able to
use that £3 billion to invest in the biggest integrated
package of transport infrastructure investments we have
ever seen."
He added:
"We simply have to look at new ways of working, ways in
which we can bring about real change and move quickly from
inception to completion. That is likely to involve looking
at the legislative process needed to promote rail and light
rail schemes, as well as our financial planning procedures
but I am determined that we will do whatever is needed to
improve transport in Scotland."
The spending figures are outlined in 'Building a Better
Scotland: Spending proposals 2003-2006' which is available
on the Executive website.
Copies will also be made publicly available to transport
bodies and interested parties through Local
Authorities.