Question reference: S4W-29381
- Asked by: Alex Salmond, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 19 January 2016
-
Current status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 1 February 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the upgrade of the Aberdeen-Inverness mainline and what action it is taking to ensure that this takes account of the need to mitigate for flooding.
Answer
Network Rail is making good progress with rail enhancements on the line between Aberdeen and Inverness. The project remains on target for completion by March 2019, and within the spending cap.
Network Rail appointed BAM Nuttall as the principal contractor for the Aberdeen to Inverness project in October 2015, with main construction work scheduled to begin later in the year.
With regard to flooding mitigation, Network Rail is working with its industry partners to make Scotland’s rail infrastructure more resilient to the current and predicted weather and climate change impacts across the network. This should help to ensure that efficient and reliable train services are maintained, including those between Aberdeen and Inverness, enabling passengers and goods to travel when required even in more extreme conditions.