IT has been a thorn in the side of the Scottish Government ever since their controversial decision to scrap it in 2008, but by the end of this month airport bosses at Glasgow should finally be clearer on the plans for a long-awaited rail link from the terminal to the city.
A feasibility study on proposals for a tram-train hybrid connecting Glasgow airport to the city centre is said to be more or less complete, with airport chiefs expecting to get their first look at the report by the end of August.
The wider public may have longer to wait, as Transport Scotland is likely to await feedback from the airport before publishing the findings.
Nonetheless, the study will be a first step towards neutralising one of the most bitter disputes to engulf east-west relations in the Central Belt. Labour-run Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils were enraged when the Scottish Government axed the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) in September 2009 amid fears the budget was spiralling out of control.
Ministers had wrested control over the project from Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) just six months earlier amid concerns it was not going to be delivered on time or budget.
Now, nearly five years later, the project is being resurrected in a modified - and significantly cheaper - form.
In contrast to the estimated £210 million for Garl's spur rail line linking Glasgow airport to Paisley, the tram-train hybrid has been forecast by independent consultants at Aecom - who advised Transport Scotland on public transport options for the airport - to come in at around £92m.
The tram is expected to run on a light rail line before joining the heavy rail network at Paisley Gilmour Street. A similar scheme is already underway in Sheffield, and tram-train hybrids have already been running in parts of Europe for 20 years.
Crucially, the plan should not involve controversial purchases of private land, as the tram route from the terminal to Paisley is expected to run entirely within plots already owned by either Renfrewshire Council or the airport.
The Herald broke the news last year that the final plots of land bought for Garl were sold back to their original owner at an £800,000 loss to the taxpayer. Figures subsequently disclosed in parliament revealed that the total cost to the taxpayer of axing Garl was £30m, including £8m spent on land and compensation costs. It is fair to say, then, that ministers will not want to embark on any new airport-related infrastructure schemes that would entail buying back any of these plots.
Coincidently, the feasibility study is nearing conclusion as the £1.3 billion City Deal was signed off. The UK and Scottish Governments have pledged £500m each in grant funding, with the eight participating local authorities each borrowing a further £130m.
The fund will help bankroll major infrastructure projects, with an airport rail link expected to be among the first projects up for consideration. It does not signal a return to a new Garl, however - heavy rail is off the table - but it might get Glasgow's tram-train rolling.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article