The new Airdrie to Bathgate rail line is intended to link communities between Edinburgh and Glasgow with the centres of both cities, and received unanimous support in the Scottish Parliament in March 2007, reaffirming MSPs' backing for the project and the benefits it will bring.
The first phase of the project is the upgrade of the Edinburgh-Bathgate line (double-tracking) which will see commuters in West Lothian benefiting from enhanced performance on this line as early as 2008. It is anticipated that services will be running the length of the new railway in December 2010. This will bring passenger benefits including four more trains per hour in each direction between Glasgow and Edinburgh; shorter travel times; improved reliability of existing services; better access to employment, education and social opportunities; and a reduction in passenger congestion. The environmental benefits include offering a public transport alternative to travelling by car via the M8 and reducing congestion.
Additional benefits include: improved reliability of existing services with double tracking works from Bathgate to Newbridge; a new station in Armadale, upgraded stations, compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act; park and ride facilities at key stops between Airdrie and Uphall; and a new, relocated cycle track.
The Scottish Executive have also promised to take forward the process of consultation and further analysis on a station in Blackridge in the new Parliament to enable the construction of a station at Blackridge to take place while the main rail route is being built.
