More financial support for Scottish light rail

An additional £2.2 million of emergency funding for light rail in Scotland – covering both Edinburgh Trams and the Glasgow Subway – has been confirmed bringing the total funding they have received since the start of the pandemic to £36 million. This now covers the period up until March 2022 (the same period as English light rail systems have confirmed emergency funding for) and comes after ongoing discussions between Transport Scotland and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Edinburgh Trams.

Graeme Dey, Minister for Transport, said: “Public transport systems in our two biggest cities have a vital role to play in keeping Scotland moving. Our support to date has enabled Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams to carry over seven million passengers since July 2020.

“A safe and confident return to public transport is crucial to ensure we have a viable and sustainable transport system to support Covid-19 recovery. This additional funding until the end of March 2022 will enable transport operators to support the pandemic response set out in our Strategic Framework, as well as our overarching aim to suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms. I thank everyone who has worked so hard across the light rail sector to provide services under challenging circumstances. The subway and tram will help our wider society and economy recover and rebuild for a better future.”

George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, added: “We are delighted to have the same funding support timescale as bus operators. This gives us a degree of security through the uncertainty of continued Covid recovery this winter, and added confidence to plan ahead into 2022.”

While the split of the funding hasn’t been made available in the press release, based on previous packages the larger percentage will go to the Glasgow Subway.