Committee
Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Committee, 04 Sep 2006
04 Sep 2006 · S2 · Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Committee
Item of business
Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill: Preliminary Stage
Both chambers of commerce have given us examples of how the economic and social regeneration of their local areas could be helped by the project. What would be the economic and social impact on both areas if the project did not go ahead?
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Con
I welcome the first panel of witnesses. They are David McDougall, president of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce; Douglas Millar, chief executive of Lanarkshi...
David McDougall (West Lothian Chamber of Commerce):
I will kick off with a response from the perspective of the business community in West Lothian. At the moment, there is a good communication link from Linlit...
The Convener:
Con
That is helpful. Thank you.
Douglas Millar (Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce):
From a Lanarkshire perspective, it is almost the opposite. Our transport infrastructure is very much linked into Glasgow's—it is like a spider's web, with ev...
The Convener:
Con
Thank you. Mr Elder, do you have anything to add?
David Elder (Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce):
I reiterate what has been said from both points of view. I am also the director of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and with that hat on I can say that peop...
The Convener:
Con
I would like to ask a question arising from Mr McDougall's comments. At present, is there a high number of people from North Lanarkshire going eastwards pass...
David McDougall:
There is a lot of movement back and forward. Some of the companies in West Lothian bus people in, but that is an expensive option that benefits only companie...
The Convener:
Con
I would like to ask specifically about the £340 million, because I know that chambers of commerce are careful with their cash. Do you think that the project ...
David McDougall:
It would be good value if it were accompanied by a lot of other things. From a West Lothian perspective, I would say that the key factor would be having the ...
The Convener:
Con
That is an interesting remark.
Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab):
Lab
What advantages to local people will the railway, as opposed to improved bus services, offer in increasing access to wider job markets, increasing inward inv...
Douglas Millar:
We can look at what happened when the new Larkhall rail line was opened last year. The passenger numbers that were predicted for that route have already been...
David Elder:
A good example is the station at Motherwell, which has a large car park. More and more, because of congestion and parking issues in the centre of Edinburgh, ...
Cathy Peattie:
Lab
Would an improved bus service not do exactly the same thing?
David Elder:
The timings of a bus service just do not compare with those of a train. From a business point of view, someone could be on a bus much longer than they would ...
Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I have a supplementary question on that. Do most of those who travel from Motherwell to Edinburgh not use Great North Eastern Railway's fast non-stop service...
David Elder:
Yes, there is a direct fast service to Edinburgh from Motherwell, but numerous people use the other services as well. As Douglas Millar said, in the past one...
Cathy Peattie:
Lab
How will the railway attract people into the area for work, leisure or education opportunities?
David McDougall:
There are huge movements into West Lothian at the moment. There is a misperception that Livingston's terrific growth has been because it provides housing for...
Douglas Millar:
Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce has done some work in talking to local businesses. They say that their recruitment pool is constrained by the transport infra...
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
Both chambers of commerce have given us examples of how the economic and social regeneration of their local areas could be helped by the project. What would ...
David McDougall:
We would have more and more gridlock on the M8. At the moment, everything funnels towards the M8 going into Edinburgh and Glasgow. The problem is that, becau...
Douglas Millar:
The evening economy is another factor. Many pubs and clubs are members of the Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce and they tell us that they are quiet on Mondays...
The Convener:
Con
You say that bus services stop at 6 or 7 at night. Is there a reason for that other than a lack of passengers?
Douglas Millar:
The reason is probably just the lack of passengers, which might be because of some of the journey times, as David McDougall said. On some bus routes in Lanar...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD):
LD
If one reason why bus services do not run later is that there are no passengers, is £340 million for a railway that will have no passengers not rather expens...
Douglas Millar:
Since the rail service opened in Larkhall, it has been used effectively. It is used not only during the day but in the evenings. The same will apply to the A...
Jeremy Purvis:
LD
When activities such as this meeting occur or when discussions take place with bus operators, how much is the level of transport that is needed for communiti...
David Elder:
It is wrong to compare buses to trains from a commuting point of view. I mentioned the number of parking spaces that are necessary at train stations to enabl...