SPT - the organisation promoting Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) - is ready to submit its final Private Bill to the Scottish Parliament promoting the building of a rail link between Glasgow Central and Glasgow Airport.
A report will be submitted to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority on Friday 7 October seeking approval to submit the bill to the Scottish Parliament's Private Bills Unit. SPT is hoping a slot will become available in the Parliamentary timetable in November.
SPT chairman Alistair Watson said: "We are ready to submit the GARL Bill and are just waiting for a firm date from the Private Bills Unit, which we hope will be in November 2005."
The report also outlines an increase in the estimated cost of building a rail link between Glasgow Central and Glasgow Airport: from £140m to £160m. SPT cites inflation as the main reason for the cost revision.
SPT chairman Alistair Watson said: "We have previously reported a headline estimate of £140m. This has now been revised to take into the account the most up-to-date prices. The costs of the project have remained stable. The bulk of the estimated increase is due to inflation in construction materials such as steel and concrete, which have risen sharply over the past two years."
SPT's estimated cost of £140m for GARL was based on spring 2002 prices. The revised £160m figure has been drawn up on the basis of winter 2004 prices - the latest figures available.
Cllr Watson added: "In addition to inflationary increases, £8m of additional costs have been identified during the year-long rigorous process that has taken Glasgow Airport Rail Link from a concept to the stage where we are now ready to submit the finalised Private Bill to the Scottish Parliament. These additional costs are due to the cost of junction alterations on the existing main line and the fact we have had to change the location of the airport station."
Following the introduction of the Private Bill for the rail link to the Scottish Parliament, objectors will have 60 days to register their concerns. SPT would like to see the rail link operational by the end of 2008.
The proposal is to upgrade 9 km (5.4 miles) of existing track between Shields Junction and Paisley Gilmour Street Station and to lay 1.9 km (1.2 miles) of new track between Paisley St James Station and Glasgow Airport. The new track will cross St James Park and the M8. The upgrade on the Shields Junction to Paisley Gilmour Street section will also enable more services to be developed for the Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes.
SPT's formal public consultation into the Glasgow Airport Rail Link ran from November 1 2004 to February 28 2005 - there was a total of 1638 formal responses. In addition, 284 people attended public meetings and focus groups and 917 people visited the exhibition stands at various locations in Glasgow and Renfrewshire.
The consultation has seen more than 20,000 information leaflets distributed to homes and businesses along the route of the proposed link. A further 15,000 leaflets were distributed on local train services. A series of public exhibitions and meetings have been held and a website has also been established.
The consultation is ongoing. SPT will be talking to businesses, local people and other affected groups throughout the passage of the Bill in Parliament, in the lead up and throughout the construction period and afterwards. Liaison groups and forums will be set up to allow community groups and individuals to speak to SPT and the contractors.
Consultants have been investigating the feasibility of building a direct rail link to Glasgow Airport for some 15 years and a preferred route has been identified, which mainly follows existing rail lines.
The Department for Transport estimates that passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport are predicted to almost double, from 8.2 million passengers a year in 2003, to over 15 million passengers a year in 2030. The airport owners' - BAA Scotland - latest forecasts are even higher and indicate that passenger numbers could rise as high as 24 million by 2030. At the moment, 95% of these passengers traveling to Glasgow Airport do so by road.
The rail link will provide more travel choice for airport users and establish a sustainable transport link to Glasgow Airport, which is a major employer and is one of the biggest wealth generators in the west of Scotland. The link will also benefit the tourist industry. According to Roger Tym & Partners, Glasgow Airport Rail Link could help bring 52,500 additional UK and overseas visitors and contribute towards £10m in additional visitor expenditure every year to Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. In addition, the link would support the Glasgow City region's estimated £115m conference sector.
