A report by a committee of the
Scottish Parliament has criticised Network Rail's ability to take
forward the Airdrie-Bathgate railway project in a “spirit of
partnership, consensus and openness with the local communities” as
promoter of the project’s parliamentary Bill.
The report by the Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Committee states: “We
remark throughout this report about the promoter’s inability to
meaningfully engage and listen to the views of local people, for whom
this railway is being constructed.”
However, the convenor of the
committee, Phil Gallie MSP said: “We have made a number of real
improvements to the Bill which will provide people living along the
railway corridor with safeguards from the impact of both the
construction and the operation of the railway route.
“The committee has been
particularly aware of the impact the railway can have on people's day
to day lives. We have therefore set daily working times during the
railway's construction phase to meet public concerns about the impact
of noise but have balanced that with the need not to cause delay to the
promoter's overall construction timetable.”
The report recommends long-term
improvements to bus services to ensure they are fully integrated with
the railway, and the appointment of a dedicated, independent
environmental clerk of works to monitor construction impacts on the
environment. It also calls for the creation of a community forum where
matters relating to construction can be discussed and a commitment from
Network Rail to engage individually with affected persons along the
route to discuss ways of reducing its impact.
The report reminds Network Rail
that the reinstatement of the railway was “not presented simply as an
engineering project”, as it involves wider responsibilities of
“improving the economic and social well being of the North Lanarkshire
and West Lothian areas and the people who live there”. It adds that
Network Rail “cannot promote this bill and simply construct the railway
leaving the other elements that deliver the scheme's objectives to
others”.
No one has commented on this article.
Related news items:
|
Holyrood news 
