This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New rail powers for Scotland
15/07/2004
Greater rail transport powers are to be transferred to Scottish Ministers after the Scottish Executive reached an agreement with the UK government.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen today said that greater responsibility for Scottish rail services will enable the Executive to secure a better deal for rail passengers.
As part of the rail review the Executive and the UK Government agreed that Scottish Ministers will take a greater responsibility for rail powers in Scotland. This will include full responsibility for specifying track and infrastructure improvements, as well as all of ScotRail's services.
The changes, which have been agreed in principle subject to adequate transfer of funding, are the most significant devolution of further powers since the Scottish Parliament was created.
The agreement reached between Scottish and UK Ministers will include:
- Transfer of the Strategic Rail Authority's powers to manage and monitor the performance of ScotRail service, creating a more direct, clearer relationship between the Executive and ScotRail
- Sole responsibility for securing future ScotRail franchises
- Power to take long term, strategic decisions about future investment for Scottish services
- Power to fund and specify where resources are targeted by Network Rail on track maintenance and investment in Scotland, enabling the Executive to set the priorities for Network Rail to deliver
- Transfer of funding to the Executive for the additional responsibilities
The Transport Minister said:
"This is a very significant change which greatly increases our ability to deliver the rail improvements Scotland needs. It will create a simpler, clearer, more streamlined system which for the first time brings together powers over train services, track and stations in Scotland. This new deal allows us to put the interests of passengers at the centre of the rail industry - not expensive, bureaucratic structures.
"Scotland's railways provide vital connections for our communities and for business and are key to our vision of an efficient and reliable, integrated transport network. The Executive has a very major programme of new public transport projects but until now investment in rail projects has been very complex. Greater responsibility over rail will now allow us to take a long term approach to future investment to help Scotland's new transport agency deliver our vision.
"We have already used our current rail powers to good effect. This new rail deal gives us significant new powers in Scotland. The challenge is now to deliver improvements for our communities and for our economy.
"The UK Government and Scottish Executive have worked closely on the rail review and we have agreed that this is the right way forward for Scotland. We will continue to work together to devolve these new rail powers to Scotland and agree an appropriate transfer of funding. This work will receive a high priority."
The announcement today was made by Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling in a statement to the UK Parliament. It is expected the relevant powers will be transferred to Scottish Ministers once UK legislation is completed and finance agreed.
The recent Scottish Executive transport white paper Scotland's Transport Future published on June 16, 2004, set out proposals to speed up the delivery of improvements to Scotland's transport network. This includes the creation of a new transport agency for Scotland. The agency will be tasked with taking on the additional rail powers as outlined in the UK Government's rail review white paper today and is expected to come into effect next year.