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12 February 2009

(S3O-5919) Freight (Far North Line)

Freight (Far North Line)

1. Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to move freight on to the far north line. (S3O-5919)


The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):





The Scottish Government offers a number of freight facilities grant schemes to encourage a shift from road to rail. However, the mode of transport for freight is a commercial decision for the freight service provider and the customer.


Jamie Stone: As I drive home on a Thursday night, I find myself having to overtake an endless line of Tesco lorries as I travel between Edinburgh and the far north. Why cannot Tesco put those loads on to trains in the way that Safeway did in the good old days, when goods travelled by rail to Georgemas junction? What are the constraints on the minister that prevent him from making that happen?


Stewart Stevenson: The member will be aware of my recent visit to Inverness, during which I cracked a bottle of champagne over the front end of the new Tesco train that the company will use in that part of the Highlands. In the past, freight travelled to the far north by rail, but recent takeovers have resulted in changes to the distribution network of the supermarkets in question.


I have made it clear to the supermarkets that the Government can make money available to them to help them fund delivery by rail of containers to the far north. If any member can facilitate further discussions on the matter, I would be happy to assist them. Cognisant of my climate change responsibilities, I hope that the member will consider using the train and not the car for his journeys to Tain.


Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): Can the minister be more specific about the powers that are available to him to ensure that all multiple stores along the route to which Jamie Stone referred furnish their stocks via the rail network? I am thinking of powers that the Parliament has agreed to, including planning powers, and the fact that 95 per cent of those stores are within a mile of the railway line.


Stewart Stevenson: I do not believe that we have such powers. That said, we have the power of persuasion and the capability to offer financial support. The powers that are available to us are applicable in certain limited circumstances and include designating parts of the road network as unavailable to lorries. However, I doubt whether those powers could be applied in this case. I am always happy to look at innovative ways of ensuring that we get freight traffic off the roads. We want fewer lorries on the roads north of Inverness than the 400 vehicles to which I have heard Mr Stone refer.


Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): I look forward to the day when we follow Asda lorries up the A9 on our way north.


It takes three hours and 40 minutes to travel by rail from Inverness to Caithness. What plans does the Government have to reduce that journey time?


Stewart Stevenson: In terms of the railway network across Scotland and, in particular, rail journeys north of Inverness, the main and early intervention that can be made is to revise signalling arrangements. The signalling north of Inverness is reaching the end of its life. We may follow the example of the Cambrian line south of the border, which was an early adopter of the European signalling system. If we were to follow that route, it would help not only to refettle the infrastructure but to reduce journey times. Although we have yet to make the decision, that would be our likely approach.


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