Journey times mean most people will choose car over train, north rail campaign group is told
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A rail campaign group that criticised Highland Council over its support for major road upgrading has been told that most people will continue to travel by car north of Inverness because of the much shorter journey times.
Councillor Trish Robertson, chairperson of the council’s economy and infrastructure committee, told Friends of the Far North Line (FoFNL) that the region needs an integrated transport system which includes affordable train services.
She maintained that pricing needs to be looked at as well as infrastructure.
Councillor Robertson made her comments in a written response to FoFNL after it accused the local authority of adopting a "head in the sand" attitude over major road upgrading. The group said the council was acting "as though there is no climate emergency" by lobbying for the completion of A9 and A96 dualling.
In doing so, the group claimed, the council was "ignoring the potential of the parallel railway lines to generate massive safety, connectivity and environmental benefits".
In an open letter, FoFNL said: "Highland Council, far from supporting moves to change Scottish transport priorities, is calling for spending on road upgrades as though there is no climate emergency. This is not a good look for Scotland as delegates arrive for the COP26 conference in Glasgow.
"Heads must be pulled out of the sand in the face of the emergency."
FoFNL convener Ian Budd accepted that some town bypasses were needed along the A96 route but said "full dualling at a cost of some £5 billion is unnecessary".
Councillor Robertson replied: “I do agree to some extent that the roads should not be the priority. To concentrate on the A9 above all else is wrong."
She agreed that the A96 needed attention, especially at Nairn.
“We need an integrated transport system which includes rail at an affordable price," Councillor Robertson continued. "It is not just infrastructure that needs looked at but also pricing.
“Unless the frequency of trains is increased and capacity for goods increased we will not win the argument to use the train.
“Further north than Inverness the journey times are too long! As long as the time taken is so much shorter in a car, most will choose the car."
Councillor Robertson said she was heartened that a railway station at Inverness Airport is becoming a reality after being granted planning permission.
She added: "I place some hope in the hydrogen train coming for trials in November. This may well be the catalyst we need for improvements in the north.”
In its letter, FoFNL stated: "Continuing our present driving habits – even with electric cars – is not sustainable because it would simply require too much electricity. We need to collaborate in making our travel consume the least possible resources, and to do this the railway offers by far the best option where available."
Convener Bill Lobban said: “Transport links must not be a road versus rail issue, and while we desperately need a vastly improved and interconnected road network we also need an efficient railway system."
In August, council leader Margaret Davidson welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to progressing the plans for dualling of the A9 by 2025 and A96 by 2030.
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