Highland transport network 'has to be improved'

Date: 18/3/2013

Transport links in the Highlands have to be improved while work on current projects should be accelerated, CBI Scotland Director of Business Iain McMillan has claimed.

Speaking at a business dinner in Inverness, Mr McMillan said that the process of making the A9 a dual carriageway all the way from Perth to Inverness needs to be sped up.

He explained that if areas of the North are to properly benefit from the advantages the initiative is expected to offer, it's imperative the A9 scheme is delivered as soon as possible.

"The Scottish Government has indicated its intention to upgrade the A9 to dual carriageway," Mr McMillan commented.

"We support this investment as a means of unlocking the economic potential of the North, but the estimated completion date is 2025.

"That's not good enough and the Scottish Government needs to be more ambitious and bring this project forward for earlier completion."

The CBI chief also criticised the loss of flights between Heathrow and Inverness as being one of the reasons that more steps have to be taken to improve the transport network in the Highlands.

However, Mr McMillan praised plans to enhance Scotland's rail infrastructure - as well as the £50 million investment in the Sleeper Train that serves Inverness.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government explained that efforts are being made to ensure ongoing projects are completed as soon as feasibly possible, but emphasised that the lengthy planning processes are essential to delivering success.

"We are taking every possible step to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness as quickly and efficiently as possible," he said.

"The A9 dualling is a colossal road engineering project and with that comes detailed planning to ensure we deliver a road that meets the aspirations of all the communities and road users along its length."

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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