This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fastlink buses for West Edinburgh
02/12/2004
A new £10 million 'Fastlink' bus service for West
Edinburgh begins operating on Sunday.
It will see 12 buses an hour using running along an 8 km
corridor (1.5 km of which is a dedicated guided
lane) between Edinburgh City Centre to Edinburgh Park.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"This is now the longest stretch of guided busway in the
UK and will cater for more than 10,000 passengers a day
cutting 15 minutes journey time from the city centre to
Edinburgh Park.
"I am certain many car drivers will use this high
quality new service to beat the traffic jams.
"It will provide access to a growing business area as
well as target some of the worst congestion in the
city.
"We have invested more than £6 million in this service
to provide better public transport access for local
communities and businesses. A modern, efficient transport
network is vital to Edinburgh's economic and social
prosperity.
"This is the first major transport scheme delivered by
Transport Initiatives Edinburgh and its benefits should be
felt by passengers for years to come."
The Executive provided £6.093 million from the fourth
round of the Public Transport Fund in 2001 and an
additional £500,000 in August 2002.