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Transport in Scotland
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Transport in Scotland
Transport in Scotland is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
The country has five international airports of which Edinburgh Airport is the busiest, handling in excess of 12 million passengers annually. With over 790 islands lying off the Scottish coast, ferry services are primarily operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne which is owned by the Scottish Government. Caledonian Maritime Assets is the owner of the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles. In 2022, the country's rail operations were re–nationalised by the Scottish Government who took over the ScotRail franchise as an operator of last resort. Scottish Rail Holdings is the executive agency of the Scottish Government which operates the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services. Glasgow Central railway station is the country's busiest, with over 15 million passengers in 2022.
The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are solely responsible for transport in Scotland within the following areas:
Some aspects of transport policy and administration are reserved (i.e., not devolved), and are therefore the responsibility of the UK Government's Department for Transport:
Scotland has an extensive railway network, with links across the country, connections to England, local commuter links to the major cities (many of which were electrified under British Rail) and freight. As of 2018, the total route length of the rail network in Scotland is 2,819 km (1,752 miles). 709 km (441 miles) of the rail network is electrified, and there are 359 stations.
The railway network is owned by Network Rail, which is responsible for the majority of the railway infrastructure. Rail services are provided under franchises awarded by the government. The current holder of the Scottish franchise is ScotRail. Intercity services are also operated by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper, London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express.
The East and West Coast Main Lines are the two cross-border railways that connect the networks of Scotland and England. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) provides inter-city rail journeys on the former between Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to London King's Cross via York, while Avanti West Coast runs services on the latter from either Edinburgh or Glasgow Central to London Euston with some services serving Birmingham New Street. TransPennine Express, Lumo, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper and ScotRail also operate services to England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by ScotRail. Glasgow's Subway is one of the four underground urban rail networks in the UK (the others being in London, Newcastle and Liverpool). Edinburgh has a tramway to and from the airport.
On 1 January 2006, Transport Scotland was established, which would oversee the regulation of railways in Scotland and administer major rail projects. Since April 2022, Transport Scotland has taken ScotRail back into public ownership via its operator of last resort, Scottish Rail Holdings. It will do the same with the Caledonian Sleeper service in June 2023.
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Transport in Scotland
Transport in Scotland is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
The country has five international airports of which Edinburgh Airport is the busiest, handling in excess of 12 million passengers annually. With over 790 islands lying off the Scottish coast, ferry services are primarily operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne which is owned by the Scottish Government. Caledonian Maritime Assets is the owner of the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles. In 2022, the country's rail operations were re–nationalised by the Scottish Government who took over the ScotRail franchise as an operator of last resort. Scottish Rail Holdings is the executive agency of the Scottish Government which operates the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services. Glasgow Central railway station is the country's busiest, with over 15 million passengers in 2022.
The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are solely responsible for transport in Scotland within the following areas:
Some aspects of transport policy and administration are reserved (i.e., not devolved), and are therefore the responsibility of the UK Government's Department for Transport:
Scotland has an extensive railway network, with links across the country, connections to England, local commuter links to the major cities (many of which were electrified under British Rail) and freight. As of 2018, the total route length of the rail network in Scotland is 2,819 km (1,752 miles). 709 km (441 miles) of the rail network is electrified, and there are 359 stations.
The railway network is owned by Network Rail, which is responsible for the majority of the railway infrastructure. Rail services are provided under franchises awarded by the government. The current holder of the Scottish franchise is ScotRail. Intercity services are also operated by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper, London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express.
The East and West Coast Main Lines are the two cross-border railways that connect the networks of Scotland and England. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) provides inter-city rail journeys on the former between Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to London King's Cross via York, while Avanti West Coast runs services on the latter from either Edinburgh or Glasgow Central to London Euston with some services serving Birmingham New Street. TransPennine Express, Lumo, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper and ScotRail also operate services to England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by ScotRail. Glasgow's Subway is one of the four underground urban rail networks in the UK (the others being in London, Newcastle and Liverpool). Edinburgh has a tramway to and from the airport.
On 1 January 2006, Transport Scotland was established, which would oversee the regulation of railways in Scotland and administer major rail projects. Since April 2022, Transport Scotland has taken ScotRail back into public ownership via its operator of last resort, Scottish Rail Holdings. It will do the same with the Caledonian Sleeper service in June 2023.
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