Scotland railway business news
News about railway operations, infrastructure, suppliers and policy in Scotland, from Rail Business UK.
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Rail Business UKScottish government scales back electrification ambition to focus on fleet renewal
UK: The Scottish government has issued a revised rail decarbonisation plan that shifts the focus away from electrification to emphasise a reduction of rolling stock emissions.
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Rail Business UKScotRail launches suburban battery and electric train fleet procurement
UK: ScotRail has formally started the process of procuring a fleet of electric and battery-electric suburban multiple-units to enter service in the early 2030s.
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Rail Business UKInverness rail freight terminal project awarded funding
UK: The Scottish government has awarded West Fraser Ltd a Freight Facilities Grant of up to £3m towards the construction of a £11·2m rail freight terminal at its wood panel board factory at Dalcross near Inverness.
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NewsScotRail battery-electric train procurement plan confirmed
UK: ScotRail has been authorised to initiate the procurement of 69 electric and battery-electric trains, Scottish government Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop has confirmed.
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Metro Report InternationalEdinburgh council launches consultation on tramway expansion plans
UK: City of Edinburgh Council has begun public consultation on plans to expand the tram network, seeking views on two proposed routes from Granton in the north to the BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary in the south.
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Rail Business UKTurner & Townsend to lead Borders Railway extension studies
UK: Scottish Borders Council has appointed Turner & Townsend to lead business case development and feasibility studies for the proposed extension of the Borders Railway from Tweedbank to Hawick and Carlisle.
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Rail Business UKLevel boarding included in ScotRail’s fleet replacement plans
UK: ScotRail has begun market engagement for its planned procurement of electric and battery-electric multiple-units.
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Metro Report InternationalTap-on tap-off ticketing goes live at Edinburgh Trams
UK: Tap-on, tap-off contactless bank card pay-as-you-go fare payment goes live at Edinburgh Trams.
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Rail Business UKScottish government to abolish peak fares
UK: The permanent abolition of peak fares, the end of the alcohol ban and an allocation of funding for rail freight are included in the Programme for Government 2025-26 presented by Scortland’s First Minister John Swinney on May 6. Enabling cheaper off-peak fares to be used ...
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Rail Business UKCaledonian Sleeper appoints interim Managing Director
UK: Caledonian Sleeper’s Commercial & Procurement Director Graham Kelly has been appointed as interim Managing Director from April 18. He succeeds Kathryn Darbandi, who is to pursue ‘semi-retirement’ after more than four years in the position. Kelly joined the Caledonian Sleeper as Guest Experience Director in ...
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Rail Business UKRail Skills Academy strengthens the future of the industry’s workforce
UK: South Lanarkshire’s second Rail Skills Academy has been launched to equip 11 young people with the skills and experience required to thrive in the railway maintenance sector.
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Rail Business UKScotRail launches Tap&Pay ticketing app
UK: Following a six-month pilot scheme, ScotRail has launched a Tap&Pay pay-as-you-go ticketing app developed by Tracsis Rail Technology & Services using its Hopsta platform. The app is initially available for travel on ScotRail services in the Strathclyde area and between Strathclyde and Edinburgh. If the deployment ...
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Rail Business UKScottish diesel operations to continue to 2045
UK: The deadline for removing diesel powered passenger trains from the Scottish rail network has been put back from 2035 to 2045. The Scottish government is undertaking an update of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan which it published in July 2020 in collaboration with Network ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail begins HST replacement process
UK: ScotRail has formally begun the procurement of trainsets to replace the current fleet of 25 HST sets used on Inter7City services. On behalf of Transport Scotland, the operator is seeking proposals for the supply of a single class of existing rolling stock to operate a ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail and Network Rail sign strengthened Alliance Agreement
UK: Scottish government-owned passenger train operator ScotRail and infrastructure manager Network Rail have signed a ‘strengthened’ Alliance Agreement, updating the partnership signed by former franchisee Abellio ScotRail in 2015. The purpose of the Alliance is ‘to integrate track and train in order to deliver the best ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail to replace inter-city HST fleet
UK: ScotRail is to procure trains to replace the ageing High Speed Train fleet used on routes between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, the Scottish government announced on September 3. ScotRail’s procurement and fleet teams are working with its parent body Scottish Rail Holdings, Transport Scotland ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express Newcastle – Edinburgh local services to continue
UK: The Newcastle – Edinburgh service operated by TransPennine Express under contract to Transport Scotland will continue after December 2024, despite the end of Scottish government funding. The service introduced in December 2021 comprises five Newcastle – Edinburgh trains per day, plus two additional trains between ...
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Rail Business UKAll-day off-peak fare trial fails to achieve modal shift goals
UK: A pilot scheme which removed peak fares on ScotRail services in favour of offering cheaper off-peak fares all day is to end, after analysis found only ‘a limited degree of success’ in achieving modal shift from cars The Scottish government spent £40m subsidising the ScotRail ...
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Rail Business UKSt Rollox works revival underway
UK: The first rail vehicles have arrived at the St Rollox works site at Springburn in Glasgow since it was taken over by Gibson’s Engineering. ‘This is a really exciting moment for Glasgow and Scotland, given what we are planning to do and the number of ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail awards Scotland Civils Framework contracts
UK: Network Rail announced the award of Scotland Civils Framework contracts totalling up to £1·3bn on August 13. Each of the contracts are for five years, with a three-year extension option based on performance. Scotland Civils Framework contracts Lot Works Contractor ...