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Chapter 2: Vision
2. Vision
2.1 Scotland's National Transport Strategy promotes sustainable economic growth and sets the context for the development of sustainable transport solutions for Scotland over the next 20-25 years. The key aims of that document are to contribute to economic growth through the following strategic outcomes:
- Improving journey times and connections.
- Reducing emissions.
- Improving quality, accessibility and affordability.
2.2 Rail has a central role in Scotland's National Transport Strategy. Our vision for the railway in Scotland is that it should provide a safe, reliable customer focused service that supports our economy and delivers wider social inclusion and environmental aspirations. We recognise that our railway cannot be a solution for all of Scotland's transport needs. We recognise the key strengths of the railway and will maximise these to develop the rail network where that is the best long term solution. Building on the work we are already doing, rail will:
- Offer world class train services which connect our city regions and major towns, providing journey times and quality of service that are competitive with car and air.
- Provide access to inter-urban services through high quality interchange stations that link with feeder rail services from intermediate stations and offer easy transfer from car, bus, tram, subway, ferry, cycle and walking.
- Make commuter train services attractive to passengers by ensuring that the journey to work is a high quality, reliable travel option and by ensuring that our rolling stock choices take account of environmental considerations, including air quality and noise emissions.
- Support heavily loaded freight trains carrying an increasingly wide range of products with effective interchange to road and sea.
- Achieve a rail industry that delivers efficiently and effectively to support our aims and vision.
The City Regions are expected to drive growth in Scotland which is expected to continue to undergo important economic and demographic change. These changes will have important implications for transport in terms of commuting and interurban journeys, as well as the movements of freight required to support the City Regions.
Scottish Planning Assessment
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