This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New transport agency to be based in Glasgow
13/01/2005
A new national transport agency focusing on delivering
major road and rail improvements will be based in Glasgow,
it was announced today.
The new agency will have around 200 staff and is
expected to be up and running by the end of this year. Full
relocation is expected by April 2007.
Over the next decade, the agency will be responsible for
delivering the Executive's £3 billion capital investment
programme of transport improvements for rail, tram and
trunk roads.
Key responsibilities will be funding and managing the
delivery of major capital projects such as the upgrade of
Waverley station, the Glasgow and Edinburgh airport rail
links, and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. It will
also be responsible for the trunk road network and the
Scottish rail franchise.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"This is an exciting time for transport in Scotland. The
new agency's key priority will be to deliver our major new
road and rail projects, on time and on budget.
"Glasgow offers a real opportunity for the agency to
work closely with the major players in the Scottish
transport industry. Moving the headquarters of the agency
to Glasgow will build on the city's position as a transport
centre of excellence, attracting staff from across the
UK."
Glasgow was chosen as the preferred location for the new
agency following a comprehensive appraisal of all 32 local
authority areas in Scotland. The relocation review process
scores each area against four criteria: socio-economic;
business efficiency; sustainable transport links; and
property availability. A site is expected to be identified
in the next few months. Full relocation will be completed
by April 2007 to allow for the smooth continuation of
business.
Transport Scotland will be an executive agency, directly
accountable to Scottish Ministers through its chief
executive. No legislation is needed to set up the agency,
however the agency will take responsibility for some of the
powers proposed in the current Transport (Scotland) Bill
such as working with regional transport partnerships.
The agency will be responsible for construction,
maintenance and management of the Scottish trunk road
network. It will oversee delivery of the rail franchise and
plan and deliver infrastructure improvements. It will
support major public transport projects like new rail links
and the redevelopment of Waverley station. It will develop
transport services which improve public transport and road
travel such as the national concessionary travel
scheme.
The recent white paper '
Scotland's
transport future' set out proposals to create a new
national transport agency. These were first set out in the
Executive's Partnership Agreement.