Cuts to Railway Funding
- Submitted by: Richard Leonard, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour.
- Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2023
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
- Motion reference: S6M-11512
That the Parliament notes with concern reports that the Scottish Government funding settlement for the next five-year Railway Control Period 7 (CP7), from 2024 to 2029, will result in a £315 million (13%) cut in Network Rail Scotland’s budget for what it sees as vital safety critical railway infrastructure work, compared with the previous five year period; understands that these cuts will fall on the renewal of track, signalling and other assets at a time, it believes, of increased degradation of railway assets and structures, and extreme weather events linked to climate change; considers that this will lead to an increased risk of structural and earthwork failures, similar to those that caused the Carmont rail disaster in 2020; is concerned that a reduction in Network Rail Scotland’s spend on railway renewals and an increased reliance on railway maintenance could lead to an increase in safety risks and a reduction in performance, including through speed restrictions and "go slows", and the loss of rail workers’ jobs and skills, which, it believes, are needed for now and in the future; believes that these cuts to infrastructure funding are part of Network Rail’s drive, under the Scottish Government’s instruction, to make efficiencies; considers that these rail cuts are a false economy that will increase economic inefficiencies within the railway and wider economy, and calls on the Scottish Government to reverse the reported £315 million cut in renewals, and, instead, to protect rail safety, services and jobs and deliver efficiencies by reducing fragmentation and moving to a unified, integrated, publicly-owned railway.
Supported by:
Sarah Boyack, Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark (Registered interest)
, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Rhoda Grant, Monica Lennon (Registered interest)
, Michael Marra, Carol Mochan, Paul O'Kane, Alex Rowley, Colin Smyth, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba (Registered interest)