'Shambolic' Edinburgh to Glasgow rail scheme will cost £90m MORE and be ANOTHER year late
THE cost of upgrading Scotland's busiest rail route has soared by more than £90 million, it was announced today.
Opposition MSPs rounded on SNP ministers as they revealed the price tag for improving the Edinburgh-Glasgow line has risen from £650 million to £741.5 million.
Critics urged the Scottish Government to stop obsessing about independence and get a grip on the scheme which is now an astonishing three years late.
Electric trains were meant to cut from journey times 50 minutes to 35 minutes by the end of 2016.
But that was changed to 42 minutes and pushed back to 2018 after the £1 billion budget was cut by a third.
Journeys of at least 42 minutes, rising to 44 mins at peak time, are now not expected until 2019, a report revealed yesterday.
And long suffering commuters will have to wait until 2025 for shorter 37-minute journeys.
Labour transport spokesman Mark Griffin said he was "baffled" by government claims the project was "on track" and urged Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is responsible for infrastructure, to take charge.
"It's a shambles. Under the SNP there has been a distinct lack of leadership on large transport projects with Audit Scotland criticising a lack of accountability," he said.
"We know Nicola Sturgeon is preoccupied with independence but she has to take some responsibility for her day job and ensure that there are no more delays or changes, and that it is completed as quickly as possible."
"We know Nicola Sturgeon is preoccupied with independence but she has to take some responsibility for her day job and ensure that there are no more delays or changes, and that it is completed as quickly as possible."
Alex Johnstone, for the Scottish Tories, added: "The Scottish Government has already scaled back on their original plans for the Edinburgh to Glasgow improvement programme.
"Now, we find the costs rising to almost three quarters of a billion pounds for a project completely lacking in ambition.
"For all the SNP's moaning about the problems associated with the Edinburgh tram project, their inept handling of this rail programme is rapidly becoming their own personal equivalent."
Much of the extra money announced today will be spent lengthening platforms at Glasgow Queen Street station to meet passenger demand with longer trains.
The station will also be linked with the neighbouring Buchanan Galleries shopping centre but the redevelopment has more than doubled in price from £49 million to £120 million.
The full business case by consultants Ernst & Young said this will boost the "accessibility and ambience" of the station and create "significant retail benefits".
But it is not expected to contribute to cutting journey times.
The cost of electrifying the line via Falkirk to make trains faster has been cut by a fifth to £248 million.
Land, infrastructure and contingency costs have also been adjusted.
Announcing that contracts had been awarded Transport Minister Keith Brown claimed the Government was giving "Scotland a railway fit for the future".
He said: "Passengers will experience the benefits of a faster, more comfortable and more efficient railway. But the whole of Scotland will also enjoy the boost to our economy and environment.
"We're creating jobs, helping reduce Scotland's carbon footprint and increasing opportunities for inward investment."
