The Scottish Government is to provide up to £9 million of emergency funding for Edinburgh Trams and Glasgow Subway in response to the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The emergency measures will be in place from July to the end of September and will support services throughout this period.
The funding announcement follows detailed discussions with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams regarding available resources due to the unprecedented impact that Covid 19 has had on travel demand.
These discussions have been undertaken in light of the published Covid-19:Framework for Decision Making and the Transport Transition Plan.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “The Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams provide key connections within our two biggest cities and as we emerge through the stages of lockdown demand for public transport will continue to rise. The services provide essential capacity and link with bus, rail and park and ride facilities.
“Over the next three months we will provide up to £9 million of financial support to operators to enable services to continue. Any restrictions on these services could have placed unsustainable demands on other modes, especially bus and so this funding will assist capacity across all public transport.
“I would like to thank all the people working across the light rail sector who have, and continue to, provide these important connections. These services have allowed our key workers and others who needed to travel for essential journeys to do so during very challenging circumstances. Going forward the subway and tram will help our wider society and economy recover as we emerge through the next phases of easing lockdown.
“We will continue to monitor the demand, capacity and costs of support across all transport modes over the coming months.”
Over the next three months up to £9m of emergency funding will be made available to support @EdinburghTrams and @GlasgowSubway in response to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on both operators. https://t.co/nTMxMGsGRc
— Michael Matheson MSP (@MathesonMichael) July 7, 2020
Martin Dean, Chair of Edinburgh Trams said: “Throughout this pandemic, we have continued to operate a service for our customers who are key workers or who’ve relied on us to make essential journeys.
“With strict social distancing requirements and significant loss of revenue, this has been challenging. However, our colleagues have acted quickly to make necessary changes to our services and worked with us to protect jobs through the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. For this, we are extremely proud.
“This funding will help to support our efforts and keep our services operational. However, 2020 will remain a challenging year for the organisation.”
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is extremely welcome news and responds directly to our own requests for additional resources to support our award-winning public transport offering through this difficult time. Edinburgh Trams has played a key role in transporting essential workers over recent months and, as we begin to emerge from lockdown, will continue to be crucial to our transport network, facilitating efficient, safe travel for those returning to work.
“There is no doubt we face a challenging period, and this funding will be of real support over the coming months. Thanks to drivers and staff, Edinburgh Trams has provided a valuable service over recent months and this will be central to the city’s recovery, and to a sustainable future for the Capital.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
