High Speed Rail Strategic Business Case

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson's foreword to the case for High Speed Rail is provided.

The report is also available in PDF format. 

October 2009

Contents

1. Exec Summary

2. Investment Case
2.1 Purpose
2.2 Strategic Vision
2.3 Strategic Context
2.4 Economic Context
2.5 Objectives
2.6 Potential options
2.7 Assessment of benefits
2.7.1 International comparison of HSR in other countries
2.7.2 Potential economic welfare benefits
2.7.3 Potential wider economic benefits
2.7.4 Potential impacts on business and development
2.7.5 Potential impacts on investment
2.7.6 Potential impact on tourism
2.7.7 Environmental impact
2.8 Development of SMART Transport Planning Objectives
2.9 Performance of potential options against objectives
2.10 Potential alignments for the high speed line
2.10.1 Alignment 1 — Glasgow-London via Edinburgh
2.10.2 Alignment 2 — Dual line network
2.10.3 Alignment 3 — Central spine network
2.10.4 Preferred alignment
2.10.5 Heathrow airport
2.10.6 Integration with the Scottish rail network
2.10.7 Channel tunnel rail link

3. Commercial, Financial and Management Case
3.1 Commercial Case
3.2 Financial Case
3.3 Management Case

List of Figures
Figure 1 - Rail market share and rail journey time
Figure 2 - Reverse S and Reverse E alignments
Figure 3 - H alignment
Figure 4 - Y alignment

List of Tables
Table 1 - Overview of the Edinburgh, Glasgow, Scottish, and UK economies
Table 2 - Sectoral breakdown of SDI-assisted inward investment in Scotland
Table 3 - Scottish exports by destination
Table 4 - Sectoral analysis of Scottish exports to the rest of the UK
Table 5 - Journey times from the central belt to London of different options
Table 6 - Forecast Rail Passenger Demand Increases on UK Network
Table 7 - Change in Rail Market Share across key European Routes
Table 8 - Potential welfare benefits to Scotland of reduced journey times between the Central Belt and London (£m, 2002 prices)
Table 9 - Wider business benefits
Table 10 - Potential annual reduction in cross-border travel emissions
Table 11 - Final potential annual reduction in emissions of Scottish CO₂
Table 12 - Additional annual savings in CO₂
Table 13 - Contribution to Scottish Government climate change targets
Table 14 - Journey times and rail market share for the different options

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