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Key Facts
EARL will put Edinburgh Airport into the heart of the Scottish rail network, directly connecting it to 3.2 million people (64% of the population). It has received support from organisations and individuals alike following unprecedented consultation.
It comprises the construction of a railway station at Edinburgh Airport and trains would arrive and depart via a tunnel under the airport's main runway and terminal. The link will be connected to both the main Edinburgh to Glasgow line and Edinburgh to Fife line (download the detailed layout plan here).
Following a detailed feasibility report by Sinclair Kinght Mertz, the Runway Tunnel Option (RTO) became the chosen route for the EARL scheme. Of all the options assessed, the RTO was the only option to meet all of the EARL policy objectives. Other options failed to compete with the EARL scheme on factors such as value for money, economic benefit, patronage levels and the reduction of road congestion benefits.
In particular, the 'Turnhouse Option' was found not to deliver the benefits of the EARL scheme in terms of economic benefits, value for money, patronage levels, connectivity and the opportunities for a public transport interchange and impact on congestion.
Benefits that have been identifed as the result of EARL include positive effects on the Economy, Social Inclusion, Tourism, Environment and Congestion, as well as the benefits from a provision of a sustainable public transport alternative and facilitating Airport Expansion
Economy
- Only two years after opening, revenues will exceed operational costs and thereafter the project will generate an increasing surplus - EARL will generate a net contribution to the public purse.
- EARL will deliver £920 million of transport benefits over the first 30 years of its operation and £1.35 billion of transport benefits over 60 years.
- It has been estimated that EARL will deliver approximately 3,000 permanent new jobs, both directly and indirectly and create up to eight jobs in the tourist industry for each additional 1,000 tourists.
- EARL has a very high benefit to cost ratio (indicating that it provides good value for money). That means for every £1 of cost it delivers £2.16 in transport benefits.
- EARL is the number one transport project supported by Scottish Financial Enterprise, representing a work force of 50,000 or 50% of Scotland's financial services workforce.
- 71% of businesses surveyed confirmed that EARL was important to their business.
- Reputable independent business studies have confirmed that having good transport connections allowing access to markets is the number one factor for companies on deciding where to locate in European cities.
- Research shows that airports facilitate economic growth at regional and national level and act as magnets for a wide range of economic activities
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- Economic development to the west of Edinburgh around the airport needs to be supported by improved rail access. The location of the RBS global headquarters at Gogarburn underpins the importance of this location for major inward investment.
- Scotland's ability to compete in an increasingly global market requires good international connections. As a peripheral country in Europe, transport is more likely to be seen as a critical factor constraining economic development. Bio and life services, financial services and tourism are particularly sensitive to the competitive position of Edinburgh Airport and its ability to attract more international air services.
- Edinburgh is one of the largest capital cities in Europe without an airport rail link. Edinburgh Airport is Scotland's most important gateway for international business travel.
Social Inclusion
- EARL will assist in the delivery of social inclusion to Scottish towns and cities by providing direct rail access to the airport for 64% of Scotland's population.
- Social inclusion, accessibility and economic growth are closely allied. EARL will support the Scottish Executive's policy aims of "Closing the Opportunity Gap".
- EARL will assist in delivering jobs and will provide a safe and efficient means of getting to and from work. The airport currently employs 2,400 people and this is expected to rise to 9000 by 2030.
- EARL will expand the Edinburgh Airport catchment area with particular benefits for Fife, improving accessibility by up to 17% by significantly reducing public transport travel times.
Tourism
- EARL will assist in the further growth of Scottish tourism and in making Scotland a thriving and year round tourist destination.
- EARL will provide direct rail accessibility to people arriving at the airport allowing them a fast and efficient means of accessing their chosen destination within Scotland.
- Tourism employs 9% of the Scottish workforce (200,000 jobs) and generates £4.4 billion. The Scottish Executive has announced its intention to grow tourism revenue by up to 50% over the next ten years.
- EARL is supported by VisitScotland, Scotland's national tourism agency. In a letter of support, Phillip Riddle, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: "VisitScotland recognises the importance of EARL to the economic competitiveness of not just the Edinburgh area and the Central Belt but also to the whole of Scotland. First class communications are a vital component of Scotland's future and I believe that the EARL project will form an important part of improving our transport infrastructure for the long term. VisitScotland is fully supportive of the implementation of this major initiative."
Sustainable Public Transport Alternative
- Regardless of the advent of EARL, all projections indicate that Edinburgh Airport growth will far outstrip that of Glasgow and that the existing road and public transport infrastructure will be unable to cope. EARL is therefore not only commercially highly attractive; it is also a strategic necessity.
- EARL will attract people out of their cars by providing a sustainable public transport alternative. EARL will encourage modal shift, with an estimated 17% of airport passengers using EARL in 2011 rising to 22% by 2026-7.
- EARL will facilitate a public transport interchange hub at the airport by providing interchange opportunities between air, rail, tram, bus and bicycle for employment, leisure and other journeys.
- One of the great benefits of the EARL scheme is that it involves no new services, just the diversion of existing trains. This means no additional capacity is required on the system or existing platforms - both of which are effectively at full capacity.
- EARL will have little or no effect on most journey times via the Airport, but in the case of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line and the Edinburgh-Dundee line, the journey times will be reduced.
Environment and Congestion
- EARL will result in a reduction in congestion on the surrounding road network and relief of pressure on car parking at Edinburgh Airport.
- EARL will remove 1.7m road trips per year from the road network.
- Over the appraisal life of the project (60 years), car journeys to the Airport will be reduced by 1.4 billion vehicle kilometres.
- The environmental impacts of EARL have been rigorously assessed in close consultation with SNH, SEPA, Historic Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, West Lothian Council and other relevant stakeholders.
- EARL is predicted to have a positive impact on air quality and result in a decrease in CO2 emissions from road traffic within the transport network.
Airport growth
- EARL will assist towards a sustainable basis for future growth at Edinburgh Airport as an integral part of Scotland's transport infrastructure and economy.
- Passenger numbers at Edinburgh Airport grew from 6 million in 2001 to 8 million in 2004 and these numbers are forecast to rise to between 21 million and 23 million by 2030.
- Public transport usage to and from Edinburgh Airport is currently lower than in other parts of the UK.
- Current patterns of access to the airport are unsustainable given the pressures on the local road network and the trend of increasing passenger numbers.
Support for EARL
- EARL benefited from a wide ranging consultation with a wide range of stakeholders
- Overwhelming support from Consultees including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, SESTRAN, Local Authorities, SEPA, VisitScotland.
- Numerous letters of support from Scotland's business community including CBI, SCDI, Scottish Chambers of Commerce and VisitScotland.
- 83% public support.
EARL Scheme Details
Costs and Funding
- The cost of EARL has been robustly assessed at £609.9 million (within a range from £550m to £650m) at the date of forecasted expenditure (2007 to 2011). This sum includes contingencies of £61.5 million and an optimism bias of £106.3 million. This optimism bias has been calculated based on HM Treasury Guidance which is designed to ensure cost outturns are within budget.
- Transport Scotland will be the major funder of EARL and discussions are ongoing with BAA regarding a contribution to the project.
Tunneling
- BAA is supportive of the principles of the Bill, but has concerns. These concerns include the tunneling methodology. It is right that BAA is rigorous in its evaluation of the methodology.
- The tunnel contributes a large proportion of EARL's costs and risks. It is precisely because of this that tie has recruited a team of world class tunneling experts who have experience of this type of project.
- The tunnelling technology which will be used is understood and proven elsewhere in the world and although the geological conditions are not simple, they will not pose insuperable problems.
- Consideration of the tunneling methodology is ongoing and BAA and Network Rail will have central roles in arriving at a final position. tie and its consultants will require to satisfy BAA that its tunneling methodology is robust enough to guarantee that the operation of the runway will continue during construction.
Rolling Stock
- The trains using EARL will be fit for purpose and capable of climbing the gradients over the proposed route.
- The gradients in the tunnel are no steeper than those at Glasgow Queen Street and current rolling stock will be able to deal with them.
- EARL proposes the use of diesel trains, but has been designed to permit future electrification.
- EARL is part of Transport Scotland's current review of rolling stock across the network. tie is working with Transport Scotland to ensure that it understands EARL's requirements.
- Tavish Scott, Minister for Transport, gave evidence to the EARL Committee regarding rolling stock in June 2006, commenting: "On rolling stock, there is a timescale that we need to work to in order to achieve both the operational efficiencies that we need to get out of the network and the improvement for passengers. It is not just about people accessing the airport to jump on a plane; the improvement in the rolling stock, in which we have invested, is important for the network". He gave a clear commitment to a steady investment in rolling stock, to satisfy commuters taking the train through the airport, for example, from Fife, as well as people accessing the airport.
Fares
- In its modelling, tie has assumed a fare of £3.75 from Edinburgh to the airport and fares comparable with FirstScotrail pricing for all other journeys.
- No premium fare has been set.
- EARL will be part of the Scottish rail infrastructure and its fares will, therefore, be part of the wider discussion on fares across the Scottish Network. It is not comparable to other rail routes, such as Heathrow Express, the sole purpose of which is to provide transport from Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport.
Consultation
- EARL undertook an unprecedented level of public consultation, which started in November 2004 and is still ongoing. Results showed that 83% of those consulted thought EARL was a good idea.
- In the EARL Preliminary Stage Report, the EARL Committee said: "In considering the consultation on the EARL scheme undertaken by the promoter, the Committee agrees with the promoter that an unprecedented amount of consultation was undertaken. The Committee acknowledges the diverse techniques used, including advertising on radio and television, public meetings, the website as well as the one to one discussions with affected individuals. The Committee believes this has gone some way towards encouraging support for the scheme and that EARL is a better scheme for that consultation."
Timetabling
- tie is working very closely with Transport Scotland and Network Rail to ensure that any impacts on journey times as a result of EARL are properly managed.
- The journey times from Edinburgh Waverley to Edinburgh Airport, and from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Airport, will be reduced to approximately 10 minutes and 40 minutes respectively.
- Whilst the Edinburgh Tram will also serve the airport, it will serve a local market, with frequent stops throughout its journey from central Edinburgh to the airport. In contrast, EARL will serve a national and regional market.
Turnhouse Option
- tie appraised this option through a STAG appraisal following its suggestion during the public consultation
- The assessment showed that this option would not deliver the benefits of EARL in terms of patronage levels, connectivity, impact on congestion, opportunities for a transport hub and economic benefits. It would also not link to the key Edinburgh Park station.
- This option would provide a station outwith the airport, and so its connectivity to the airport would be poor, with travellers having to negotiate a 1km travellator or a further airport bus service.
- It would also involve significant disruption during construction, with destruction of commercial and residential property.
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Factsheet
