Major redevelopment at Queen Street

Transport Minister Keith Brown has welcomed news of the latest major milestone in the Edinburgh - Glasgow Rail Improvement Programme (EGIP) and revealed the funding plans allow for a complete transformation of one of Scotland's busiest transport hubs.

Network Rail has today announced construction and engineering firms Morgan Sindall and Costain will work with them on electrifying the Falkirk line between the two cities as part of the flagship infrastructure programme.

This is the largest single element of EGIP, which has already unveiled a new £25 million station at Haymarket in Edinburgh and is making good progress on electrification of the Cumbernauld Line in advance of the Commonwealth Games.

The major plans to completely transfor one of Scotland's busies transport hubs were announced as part of the Edinburgh - Glasgow Rail Improvement Scheme.

The programme will also now see even bigger plans for Queen Street station in Glasgow, to integrate it fully with Buchanan Galleries, improve the passenger experience, create a world-class integrated transport hub and transform a key landmark building in Glasgow.

The news comes as Transport Scotland publishes the Final Business Case for the project, setting out the investment case for EGIP and the benefits it will deliver for Scotland and its rail users, including:

• the  transformation of Queen Street station estimated at around £120 million,
• shorter journey times and more reliable services between our two biggest cities,
• a cleaner, greener, quieter railway with lower carbon emissions,
• improved capacity and more seats with less crowding at peak journey times.
• The project scope has developed significantly since the July 2012 announcement of the first phase of EGIP and now includes  the redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street Station, outline plans for which will be revealed by Network Rail next month.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "I welcome the contract award on the core electrification of the route and the hundreds of jobs this will support. This announcement represents another hugely important milestone in the delivery of EGIP and shows that we are pressing ahead with the improvements which will give Scotland a railway fit for the future.

"Since I announced the first phase of  EGIP In July 2012 we have further developed  the original scope to include an even greater transformation of Glasgow Queen Street station and I am pleased to announce the publication of the EGIP Business Case which takes that into account. This prudent and comprehensive assessment of the investment case for EGIP demonstrates substantial benefit for Scotland and its rail users and that  the first phase can be delivered  on time and on budget."

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