§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the chairman of British Rail about electrification of the Glasgow-Edinburgh railway line and the traffic volumes required to meet the investment criteria.
§ Mr. FreemanThe £12.5 million electrification of the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Carstairs is under way and due to be completed by the spring of 1991. ScotRail is introducing the new class 158 express diesel units on the route from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh via Falkirk and Linlithgow. A full service using these new trains will be in operation by the end of this year. I understand that BR is still considering whether a case can be made for electrifying the route via Shotts. Its forecast of traffic levels will form part of that consideration.