Meeting of the Parliament 28 November 2024
The A96 corridor review has been undertaken in accordance with the Scottish transport appraisal guidance, which is the best practice and objective-led approach to transport appraisal.
The review has considered the transport problems and opportunities along the A96 corridor, the changing policy context—including a focus on making better use of existing assets—and the response to climate change, along with other relevant considerations such as aspirations for development. In addition, the review has included a climate compatibility assessment, along with other statutory assessments.
Appropriate and effective stakeholder and public engagement has been undertaken by Transport Scotland at key stages during the review process. Given the effects of the climate emergency and Covid-19 on travel, the views of residents, stakeholders and businesses have been vital to help the analysis and to understand any impacts and associated changes to travel patterns along the corridor.
The problems and opportunities that were identified through the initial consultation in 2022 have been instrumental in developing the review’s appraisal and assessment criteria, which ensures that vital public feedback has been appropriately considered throughout the process. Members will recall that the initial four-week public consultation, which was undertaken as a key element of the review, generated unprecedented interest, with almost 4,700 responses received and more than 11,000 suggested options. Given the sheer volume of responses received and the high number of options that that generated, it was only right to carefully examine the extensive feedback from the members of the public we serve and all the options that were generated as part of the initial appraisal exercise.
The initial appraisal rationalised the multitude of options that were generated, retaining 16 options for preliminary appraisal. That key stage then considered those options and rejected the ones that were found to perform poorly against the review’s appraisal criteria. Fourteen remaining options, which included full dualling, progressed to the detailed appraisal stage. The appraisal work that was undertaken recognised that the identified problems and opportunities along the corridor would be best addressed through an area-based or geographical approach. That allowed the development of a range of packages addressing common problems and opportunities across similar locations throughout the A96 corridor to be appraised in detail.
Transport Scotland has now concluded that detailed appraisal stage and has considered the relative performance of seven packages of improvements for the corridor, including full dualling of the A96. That detailed appraisal of all the evidence identifies that there is an optimal refined package. That refined package includes a spread of interventions across all modes of transport, supporting a multimodal approach to transport investment within the corridor.
The package includes bypasses of Elgin and Keith and targeted road safety improvements; an A96 electric corridor to improve alternative refuelling facilities; rail improvements to reduce passenger journey times and enhance freight facilities; improvements in towns and villages to encourage more people to walk and cycle locally; investment in flexible transport opportunities to improve connectivity in areas with limited access to existing public transport; and improvements to public transport interchange facilities.
The refined package cost estimate is in the range of £501 million to £1 billion at 2022 prices, which compares with a range of £2.5 billion to £5 billion for dualling the A96 from the east of Nairn to Aberdeen. It is clear that it will not be possible to dual all of the A96 by 2030. The Scottish Government currently favours fully dualling the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen. [Interruption.] The evidence from the A96 corridor review suggests that there may be a different approach to provide alternative solutions with a more cost-effective and affordable budget. [Interruption.]