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View Full Version : 'train/rail links to edinburgh'



sweetheart
21-Dec-06, 09:20
For anyone who's had the frustration of landing at edinburgh airport, having to connect to a train, here is an image taken from google earth of edinburgh airport. The RED line is where the train tracks are for the edinburgh-inverness train line. Its close enough to walk to, as you can see.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/davidekhalil/edinburghtrainstation.jpg

But there is no train station. Why? ?

Why are the rail-air links so incredibly poor?

If people are being paid to achieve a transport policy for scotland, why are they being paid?.. the money is obviously wasted.

Bill Fernie
21-Dec-06, 10:09
Probably been talked about all of my life. But they do finally seem tobe clawing their way forward as proposals are now being discussed on the issue. See http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/Rail/earl/earl.html

Today on the BBC Radio 4 News also - Edinburgh councillors are debating today a proposal to reintroduce a trams system into Edinburgh. It would make sense to link it to the airport. The trams disppeared from Edinburgh many years ago under huge howls of protest from the public. It has only taken over 40 years to make them see that totally conjested Edinburgh needs a proper public transport system.

When I grew up in Edinburgh I was always amazed that trams could simply change direction by going backwards - the driver moving to the other end to drive the tram. All the seat just flipped backwards by the conductor to face the other way. It must have been too efficient as they abolished them in favour of buses that clogged Princes Street from 4.30pm onwards. When they were abolished it was not predicted that traffic woule reach the numbers it did at least by the officials.

Yes I agree the airport link would make sense - it always has.

And is the money being wasted on the policy makers. Check for youself on thier web site at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/

Looking at Edinburgh - my former home town when young - and shudder at the congestion that has seemingly gotten worse year on year. the airport has got busier, the town has sprawled. the Scottish Parliament placed in the centre of a town already screaming at the number of vehicles. If they had places the parliament between Edinburgh and Glasgow and created new town around it with rail links off the Edinburgh Glasgow line and a heliport to get to Edinbugh and Glasgow airports. If they had placed it about two or three miles off the motorway near Stirling they could have joined the whole of Scotland. Imagine how much faster north people could reach the parliament if it was not in the middle of congested Edinburgh.

Hmmmm I digress off topic.

There are proposals for An Rail lin called the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link - See http://www.earlproject.com/
How long will it take - anyone's guess at ther moment I think.

Yes Sweatheart you are right and it has been staring them in the face since the airport was built in 1915 -
http://www.edinburgh-airport-uk.info/edinburgh-airport-history.htm

And let's not forget the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project http://www.spt.co.uk/garl/

Things are happening in Edinburgh such as the Waverley Station Upgrade due for completion in December 2007 - http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3452.aspx

Rail is certainly ssing more development in recent years than it has for a long long time. Other projects include -
A Borders Link back to Edinburgh http://www.waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk/
A Striling Aloa Kincardine project - http://www.sakrailway.co.uk/launch.htm
Larkhall - Milngavie and into Glasgow - http://www.spt.co.uk/news/story318.html
Airdrie Bathgate Rail Link - http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk/

So things are happening and yes it will cost £Billions

Is the money being wasted on the policy makers? - See their web site at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/

golach
21-Dec-06, 10:31
I am going to be the devils advocate here, Lothian Region Buses has a a great bus service from the City center to and from the Airport, this takes you from the the Waverley to the terminal at a 10 minutes frequency, and takes approx 30 mins.
I understand the need for a rail link, but this has been thrown into confusion by BAA wanting to extend the runways, and as BAA is under investigation at the moment for have too much af a strangle hold on Scottish airports. In my opinion this is going to put the rail link further back,
Until we get this link, use the bus.

http://www.flybybus.com/

Bill Fernie
21-Dec-06, 10:37
Yes Golach I agree the Edinburgh aiport bus service is the best way in and out from the Airport to central Edinburgh. It is almost as fast as a taxi and fraction of the price. The buses have plenty of luggage space.

Anytime I have flown to Edinburgh I have always found a bus within minutes of arrival and usually picked up the bus on the way back at Waverley. As long as you are not doing it at rush hour the buses keep very good times and even at rush hour time it is almost as fast as a taxi.

sweetheart
21-Dec-06, 10:43
I've landed at that airport, gotten my bags on that bus and hoofed it to waverly station down the ramp and down the platform to get on a train
that passed the origin of my journey an hour later on the way to inverness...
(as the train passes the airport)

..then i figured that if someone left a pile of 2x6 timbers by the tracks and
about 20 bags of portland cement and some sand, 2 men could assemble a
crude train platform in 1 weekend, and Voila, the rail link would exist. I don't know why it has to be so complex, the tracks are already there.

For all the money spent 'planning' they could have done it 10 times over.

On a wider note, the transport/rail policies are terrible. There should be park and ride areas outside edinburgh where people drop the car for the train, but no no, they didn't think of that... what planet do the planners live on?

Bill Fernie
21-Dec-06, 10:45
And while we are on the topic of airport connections. Their is project apporived by the Scottish Executive for the design work to make the A96 from Inverness to Inverness airport a dual carriage way. Cost is projected to be £30 million and the go ahead for the design work was granted in March this year.

the A 96 is the road that runs from Inverness to Aberdeen.

The need to do something about Inverness end is very apparent with the spread of inverness at Culloden, Smithton and Balloch not to mention all the new shops at Tesco etc.

Inverness is the fastest growing town in the UK over the past few years and the aiprort is getting busier every year and passed the one million passengers per annum only recently. No proposals to link by rail arre apparently being suggestd but a dual carriageway would make a lot of sense as the single carriage way is often backed up with traffic these days.

Bill Fernie
21-Dec-06, 10:54
Yes Sweatheart I agree that Park and Ride needs to be the way forward but Edinburgh is dragging itself forward on that one
See http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/roads/Rides/ride.html
New Park and Rides are being opened slowly. With the recent changes to Edinburgh's traffic system it is getting harder and harder to get round Edinburgh as cars not allowed in Princes Street except at certain passing through points like the Mound or the Bridges. With one way streets and little street parking to be found it is as well to leave the car in the outskirts and take a bus.

People often leave their cars at pretty well every station on the route to most major towns. Anyone who uses that system will tell you it can be hard to get parked near these stations but it is the sensible thing to do and folk have been doing that as long as I can remember to commute daily.

Edinburgh was always going to be difficult for travel having been designed for the horse and cart - if designed is the world to use. The New Town (Princes Street, George Street, Queen Street etc) was certainly a step forward with straight lines and wider streets but the older parts and the outer housing schemes built from the 1950's onwards are congested areas as the assumptions must have been that people who rent houses do not own cars - Big Mistake - but hindsight is a great thing.

Through
21-Dec-06, 12:44
Inverness is the fastest growing town in the UK over the past few years and the aiprort is getting busier every year and passed the one million passengers per annum only recently.

Erm... It's a city now Bill.

The Pepsi Challenge
21-Dec-06, 18:01
Inverness is also - apparently - the fastest growing city in Europe.

grumpyhippo
21-Dec-06, 22:22
..then i figured that if someone left a pile of 2x6 timbers by the tracks and
about 20 bags of portland cement and some sand, 2 men could assemble a
crude train platform in 1 weekend, and Voila, the rail link would exist. what planet do the planners live on?


Couldn't agree more but then the consultants and the health and safety bods would send in their bill, the station would still look the same but the tax payer would lighter by £ 200 million.

The Pepsi Challenge
22-Dec-06, 02:08
Probably been talked about all of my life. But they do finally seem tobe clawing their way forward as proposals are now being discussed on the issue. See http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/Rail/earl/earl.html

Today on the BBC Radio 4 News also - Edinburgh councillors are debating today a proposal to reintroduce a trams system into Edinburgh. It would make sense to link it to the airport. The trams disppeared from Edinburgh many years ago under huge howls of protest from the public. It has only taken over 40 years to make them see that totally conjested Edinburgh needs a proper public transport system.

When I grew up in Edinburgh I was always amazed that trams could simply change direction by going backwards - the driver moving to the other end to drive the tram. All the seat just flipped backwards by the conductor to face the other way. It must have been too efficient as they abolished them in favour of buses that clogged Princes Street from 4.30pm onwards. When they were abolished it was not predicted that traffic woule reach the numbers it did at least by the officials.

Yes I agree the airport link would make sense - it always has.

And is the money being wasted on the policy makers. Check for youself on thier web site at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/

Looking at Edinburgh - my former home town when young - and shudder at the congestion that has seemingly gotten worse year on year. the airport has got busier, the town has sprawled. the Scottish Parliament placed in the centre of a town already screaming at the number of vehicles. If they had places the parliament between Edinburgh and Glasgow and created new town around it with rail links off the Edinburgh Glasgow line and a heliport to get to Edinbugh and Glasgow airports. If they had placed it about two or three miles off the motorway near Stirling they could have joined the whole of Scotland. Imagine how much faster north people could reach the parliament if it was not in the middle of congested Edinburgh.

Hmmmm I digress off topic.

There are proposals for An Rail lin called the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link - See http://www.earlproject.com/
How long will it take - anyone's guess at ther moment I think.

Yes Sweatheart you are right and it has been staring them in the face since the airport was built in 1915 -
http://www.edinburgh-airport-uk.info/edinburgh-airport-history.htm

And let's not forget the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project http://www.spt.co.uk/garl/

Things are happening in Edinburgh such as the Waverley Station Upgrade due for completion in December 2007 - http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3452.aspx

Rail is certainly ssing more development in recent years than it has for a long long time. Other projects include -
A Borders Link back to Edinburgh http://www.waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk/
A Striling Aloa Kincardine project - http://www.sakrailway.co.uk/launch.htm
Larkhall - Milngavie and into Glasgow - http://www.spt.co.uk/news/story318.html
Airdrie Bathgate Rail Link - http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk/

So things are happening and yes it will cost £Billions

Is the money being wasted on the policy makers? - See their web site at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/


Re: Edinburgh Trams: When exactly do the public - who would be paying for it - get to vote on it? 56 Councillers more like.

sweetheart
24-Dec-06, 13:18
Bill fernie. It is a real shame they screwed up and put the parliament in edinburgh. The traffic jams in and out of there are dreadful... i loathe going to edinburgh for that (by vehicle from here)... there is simply no way to do effective business with edinburgh, its easier to get in and out of london from here than edinburgh.

There is still some hope for your suggestion. A scottish national parliament could be set up in a proper new location just like you say; and the newly independent scotland would have the finest new capital in europe.

Then the devolved building in edinburgh could be turned in to a concert venue or something more fitting for the location... at least then when it squanders its budget the public will only expect music. ;)

The planners seem to be thinking in separate modes, not from the point of veiw of a passenger getting from point A to B, but rail and air and car as separate, when many journeys use all forms of transit and need them to linke up. That nobody has sussed out linking cars to rail effectively, after so many years of doing it wrong, just seems sad.

With the national parliament, scotland would get better value for its money... finally fixing the A-9 between perth and inverness to dual carriageway... if inbhir nis is to grow so large, a safe road link with the central belt is an absolute must.