LINKING Scotland’s fastest-growing town to a major railway line could remove almost half a million cars from central belt motorways and boost the nation’s net zero ambitions.
That’s the view of John Hamilton, chief executive of Winchburgh Developments Ltd, who has unveiled an independent impact report published by Systra into the viability and benefits of a station in Winchburgh on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line.
The report has revealed, for the first time, that opening a station in the West Lothian town could remove an estimated 1,658 car journeys from roads every day, replacing slow journeys on congested roads with train journeys lasting less than 15 minutes. The station would also support direct benefits to passengers of £2.4 million a year, and generate at least £3.5 million of decongestion benefits annually.
“Removing almost half a million cars from some of the busiest rush-hour corridors in the country represents a significant benefit, not only in terms of speed of travel and convenience to commuters but as a significant step towards Scotland’s net zero emissions target date of 2045,” John Hamilton said. “This report shows that a new railway station with ample provision for car-parking would relieve congestion on the M8, M9, and M90 as well as in and around Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Falkirk.
“For more than a decade, Winchburgh Developments has been investing in the sustainable growth and social and economic prosperity of Winchburgh as part of our development plans for the area, and we have always supported plans for a train station. However, as developers, it is not in our power to build a new railway station as this has to be done by Network Rail with support from ScotRail, Transport Scotland, and other stakeholders. As such, we decided to commission Systra to undertake an economic impact report to evaluate the direct impact and wider regional benefits to Edinburgh and the Lothians and believe the findings speak for themselves.”
The report found that, as the station would be located at the last viable point for intercepting traffic on the M9 before it reaches the congested M8/M90, it would serve a wider regional catchment of around 27,000 people – more than double the projected population of Winchburgh. This means it would have a role as a Park and Ride site serving an immediate catchment area to the north and west of Winchburgh. As a result, it is estimated that a station could cause a 15% shift away from car flows towards the whole of the City of Edinburgh Council area.
On completion of Winchburgh Developments’ current consented masterplan, it is estimated that the town will have 4,324 residential units and a population of over 13,000. The placemaking project has already seen significant investment in infrastructure, facilities and publicly accessible greenspace, as well as the completion of new primary and secondary schools, a district park and a junction which connects Winchburgh directly to the M9 motorway.
To read the full report, visit tinyurl.com/WinchburghImpactReport
