Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37071 on 3 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37071 on 3 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Annual station usage at Chatelherault railway station was estimated as per the following table:

	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Forecast Station Demand	36,779	38,251	39,781	41,372	43,027	44,748	46,538	48,399

Transport Scotland hold this information as part of an evaluation undertaken with and led by the Department for Transport into demand forecasting for new railway stations and lines which will be published in late 2010 early 2011. Actual monthly passenger use information is not held by Transport Scotland but by ScotRail. Annual data, typically used in preference to monthly data as it avoids issues relating to seasonality, is publicly available up to 2008-09 via the Office of Rail Regulation website (http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529). The latest available figure shows total use of Chatelherault (entries and exits) as 40,958 in 2008-09. Information relating to the catchment area population of Chatelherault is not held by Transport Scotland.

Capital investment in the trunk road and rail networks since 1999 is shown in the following table:

	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
(a) Improving the Road Network	174.0	165.3	164.9	155.8	112.1	138.9	147.1
(b) Rail Infrastructure and Other Transport Programmes*	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

 

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008- 09	2009-10
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
(a) Improving the Road Network	105.4	177.3	171.7	176.6	284.5
(b) Rail Infrastructure and Other Transport Programmes*	-	515.9	631.2	540.4	536.2

Note: *Responsibility for Rail was devolved to the Scottish Government in 2006.

The fixed price to be paid by the Scottish Government to Network Rail for the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link Project was determined by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) at £312 million at the price level in quarter one, 2006. This determination included the cost of upgrading the line between Edinburgh and Bathgate. It did not break down construction costs for each of the stations.

Transport Scotland''s (TS) assessment of station costs, which informed the TS submission to the ORR prior to its price determination is as follows:

Station	Cost (£ million)
Bathgate	4.1 to 4.8
Armadale	2.9 to 3.4
Caldercruix	3.8 to 4.5
Drumgelloch	3.4 to 3.9
Airdrie	2.1 to 2.5

Blackridge was not included in the original ORR determination. The cost of this variation is estimated at £3.2 million which included a contribution from West Lothian Council.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37068 on 3 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Publication of the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan in 2000 preceded the transfer of responsibility for rail strategy and funding to Scottish Ministers.

It is therefore not known whether, or to what extent, the costs, catchment areas and populations relating to these new or relocated stations were established at the time.

However, this information may be available from the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Strategic Development Planning Authority, the successor authority to the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan Committee.

The appraisal of Laurencekirk railway station, undertaken by Scott Wilson Consultants for Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Executive, estimated that around 36,000 annual trips would be made to and from this station. From its opening in May 2009 to March 2010, 52,369 passenger journeys were made. This data was supplied to Transport Scotland by ScotRail. Monthly passenger data is not held by Transport Scotland. In future, annual data, typically used in preference to monthly data as it avoids issues relating to seasonality, will be publicly available for this station via the Office of Rail Regulation website:

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529.

Information relating to the current catchment area population of this station is not held by Transport Scotland, though the appraisal reported a resident population of approximately 2,800 in the township and rail potential hinterland, with 4,700 in the surrounding Mearns of Aberdeenshire (National Census Data, ONS, 2002).

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37071 on 3 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37068 on 3 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.