A survey of the 10 most overcrowded train services in Scotland has revealed that five of the 10 operate on Scotland's newest reopened train lines – the new line in Fife to Leven, and the Borders Railway to Tweedbank. The Borders Railway, reopened in 2015 (more than 46 years after the last trains ran on January 6 1969) has wildly exceeded expectations in terms of passenger numbers.
The other lines in Scotland which have been reopened in recent years, such as Larkhall to Milngavie, Airdrie to Bathgate and Stirling to Alloa, have also been successful and popular.
The success of these new train lines suggests that there could be public support for the reopening of other railway lines in Scotland closed down during the vandalism of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, or the upgrading of certain lines which are currently only used for freight or for the movement of rail stock and bringing them back into service in the passenger rail network.
The Edinburgh tram line, despite initial difficulties, cost overruns and delays in construction, has also proved successful and popular. The extension of the line to Newhaven, opened in 2023, came in under budget and on time. There are now plans for a new north-south tram line to connect Granton in the north of the city, with the southern suburbs, possibly running as far as Dalkeith.
There are a number of obvious candidates for reopened heavy rail lines, including the line between Alloa and Dunfermline, the long-mooted Crossrail line in Glasgow linking the North Clyde Line with the network south of the river via Glasgow Cross, the rail line to St Andrews, the extension of the Borders Railway from its present terminus at Tweedbank all the way to Carlisle. In the north east, we could restore train services to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. Other projects which have been mooted include the reopening of the line which once linked Stranraer and Dumfries.
Other important projects include the electrification and decarbonisation of Scotland's railways, creating a clean and green transportation network, fit for the 21st century, owned by the people of Scotland, and operated in their interest. However with the slashing of the Scottish Government's capital investment budget by Westminster, and the continuing control of Network Rail – the publicly owned company which owns and operates track and signalling – by Westminster, the dream of an expanded and zero-carbon Scottish railway network is likely to remain a dream, another example of how independence is needed in order to fast-track Scotland's potential.
Meanwhile at Holyrood ...
At FMQs today, the radioactive Anas Sarwar called upon First Minister John Swinney to follow the lead of the Labour Government in Westminster and build nuclear power plants in Scotland. He accused the Scottish Government of having an "ideological block" on nuclear energy.
Sarwar's call comes after Keir Starmer announced plans to "slash red tape" and reform planning rules in England and Wales in order to make it easier to build new nuclear reactors. The reforms will facilitate the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) for the first time in the UK which ministers claim would help to deliver clean, secure and more affordable energy. The Government has announced that “archaic” planning rules will be ripped up while growth will be prioritised ahead of local opposition to nuclear plants.
Anas Sarwar wants Scotland to follow suit, despite the fact that Scotland does not need nuclear and investment in nuclear, which is expensive and prone to long delays. Cost overruns in construction would divert funds from the development of Scotland's massive renewable energy resources, which already have the potential to generate far more electricity than Scotland requires for its own consumption.
What Anas Sarwar really wants is for Scotland to invest huge sums in the development of nuclear energy so it can be siphoned off and sent south to benefit the economy of the rest of the UK, with very little benefit to Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney firmly rebuffed the demand, saying that doing as Labour wanted risked scaring off much needed investment in renewables, which unlike nuclear can be brought on stream much more quickly and with much less expense than nuclear, and unlike nuclear does not leave Scotland or the UK dependent on foreign sources of fuel. The largest sources of uranium ore are in Asia, Canada, Australia and Africa. That's merely swapping dependence on one set of foreign fuel suppliers for a different set of foreign fuel suppliers.
Responding to the Labour leader, the First Minister said: "In 2023, 70% of electricity generated in Scotland was from renewable sources, that's a marked increase compared to 32% in 2013.
“So Mr Sarwar should be careful not to create the impression that renewable energy is not delivering formidably for Scotland because it is.
“And I think investors will be really worried by the language from Mr Sarwar today, because investors tell me that they know exactly where the Scottish Government stands today.
“We are right behind the renewable energy revolution, and we're delivering that.
Sarwar, in his pursuit of the new direction, wants to muddy the waters. He wants to add uncertainty. He wants to scare off investment from the renewable energy industry. I won't be doing that.
“I'll be giving a clear green light to the green energy revolution in Scotland, and I'll be proud of what Scotland can deliver."
Labour's commitment to nuclear energy has been questioned by leading figures in the energy sector. Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity and himself a Labour donor, has questioned the UK Government’s claim that new nuclear reactors will lower energy bills.
He said: “We keep hearing that small modular reactors will be cheaper than the big ones and they’ll bring our energy bills down – but no-one, no-one at all, ever tells us what the price of the energy will be, the Government and the industry just don’t say.
“You have to wonder why – if they’re definitely cheaper and will bring bills down, then give us the numbers."
It's all remarkably reminiscent of Labour's grandiose claims about GB Energy which likewise the Labour Government refuses to say by how much and when it will reduce energy bills.
