Airport Rail Link Gets Green Light
Buddies are on track for a massive jobs boost after MSPs gave plans for a direct rail service between Glasgow Airport and the City Centre the green light.
The £170 million Glasgow Airport Rail Link will:
- Generate an additional £10 million per year for the regional economy
- Support the development of 135,000 sq ft of office accommodation, bringing 675-700 new jobs to Paisley Town Centre within 3-4 years of construction
- Create a further 650 jobs in Renfrewshire and Glasgow
- Provide a dedicated 16 minute train service every quarter of an hour between Glasgow Central station and a new station at the airport
- Bring 53 000 extra visitors to the region every year
- Improve links between Paisley and Glasgow, with an extra 4 trains per hour to and from Glasgow
- Benefit the environment (80% of passengers using GARL would previously have travelled by car or cab)
- Reduce congestion (BAA predicts the number of passengers passing through the airport will treble to 24 million by 2030
9km of existing track between Shields Junction and Paisley Gilmour Street will be upgraded and 2km of new track will be laid between Paisley St James station and Glasgow Airport. The new track will cross the M8 and St James Park.
Disruption at the playing fields will be kept to a minimum during construction. 11 pitches will remain in use at St James with 11 provided nearby. Once completed, 20 new pitches will be provided on the current site and 2 nearby. The pavilion will be moved and replaced with modern facilities and all of the pitches will be of league standard. Currently the pitches are prone to flooding and new drainage will be provided.
Careful steps are being taken to safeguard the local environment whilst the new line is being built.
A Code of Construction Practice will be followed to protect surroundings and dirt and noise levels will be kept to a minimum.
Construction of the link and the redevelopment of the playing fields will take 2-3 years to complete.
Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander called for the Rail Link to be introduced in Parliament and voted in favour of the project.
Ms Alexander said: “The Glasgow Airport Rail Link will revolutionise transport links between Glasgow City Centre and the airport.
“It will attract tens of thousands of extra visitors and boost the regional economy by £10 million per year.
“It will also lead to the creation of more than 650 jobs in Paisley Town Centre within the next decade.
“In addition, it will give passengers greater choice, benefit the local environment and reduce congestion.”
