Emergency aid for Scots rapid transit?

The Scottish Government is in talks with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and the City of Edinburgh Council about Covid-19 emergency funding for the Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Tram system. 

Patronage on both systems has plummeted since the Covid-19 lockdown was introduced in March.

SPT predicts a £5.6m deficit on its revenue budget if passenger numbers on the Glasgow subway remain 97 per cent below normal for 12 weeks. SPT’s assistant chief executive Valerie Davidson said: “Although additional funds have been announced for commercial transport operations, no additional support has been announced in Scotland for public sector transport operators. This matter has been raised at the highest level with Transport Scotland and discussions have commenced with a submission made for additional support.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman told LTT: “We appreciate the important role the subway and trams play in our two biggest cities and we are currently in detailed discussions with SPT and Edinburgh Trams to understand the implications of Covid-19. As part of these discussions we are exploring what appropriate support may be available.”