A Highland MSP has already contacted the new Scottish Government transport minister to push for improved rail services.
Emma Roddick, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, got in touch with Jenny Gilruth just days after her appointment, urging her to take forward plans to upgrade infrastructure across the region.
She explained that, for many living in the Highlands, greener public transport is simply inaccessible.
Ms Roddick said that if the country wants to achieve net zero, this is a problem that will need to be tackled.
“If we want to reach net zero, we need to transform the way we travel,” she said.
“That means that we need to reach a point where longer journeys can be covered easier and faster by rail than by car.”
She also addressed the expense that often surrounds using trains in the Highlands: “For far too many across the Highlands, green and accessible public transport remains a pipe dream – train journeys can take twice as long as driving, are often more expensive, and frequently suffer delays due to lacking infrastructure.
“The only way this will change is through government action.”
‘Give the Highlands the railway system we deserve’
Proposals to improve train infrastructure in the north of Scotland include doubling the Highland Main Line and installing a railway loop at Lentran.
Ms Roddick called for commitment to be made to following these plans through.
“Transport Scotland recently rightly identified improvements to the Highland Main Line rail corridor as potentially transformative for Scotland’s journey to decarbonisation; now what the people of the Highlands need is a firm commitment to doubling and fully electrifying this line,” she said.
“There is the opportunity to do something truly wonderful here and give the Highlands the railway system we deserve.”
