Latest news with #TransportScotland
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Dozens of jobs could be axed at major Scots construction firm
Union bosses have called for the government to intervene 'IMMEDIATE RISK' Dozens of jobs could be axed at major Scots construction firm Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DOZENS of people are at risk of losing their job at a major Scottish construction firm. Road workers at Amey SW Trunk Roads are in danger of being made redundant. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Around 100 people are working on the road maintenance contract are in danger of losing their jobs Credit: Alamy A Transport Scotland funded contract for the firm is set to come to an end. Around 100 staff across Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway are employed on the job working on road repairs. Trade union chiefs at Unite say they have been told the 100 jobs are at "immediate risk". They have now called on the Scottish Government to try and save workers from redundancy. Unite's industrial officer, David McGurk, said: "Unite has been informed by Amey that up to 100 jobs are at immediate risk. 'The workers are currently employed on a road maintenance contract funded by Transport Scotland and directly supported by the Scottish Government across Dumfries and Galloway, and Ayrshire. 'Unite will do all we can to support these highly skilled workers who are ensuring that our nation's infrastructure is safe, reliable and up to the highest possible standard. 'We have asked Fiona Hyslop, the cabinet secretary for transport and infrastructure, for action from the government to ascertain what can be done to save these jobs including an immediate review of the contracts awarded to Amey.' Amey has said a "small number" of workers will be impacted by the contract ending and that a number of workers are set to be offered voluntary redundancies. A spokesperson for Amey told STV News: 'Due to the changing needs in the delivery of the service we have reviewed the operational structure of the business. Families can get FREE washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 payments this summer – and you can apply now "As a result, Amey has entered a 45-day consultation process with a number of employees on our south west Scotland network management contract. 'A very small proportion of employees will be impacted with most of these achieved through the offer of voluntary redundancy. 'We will continue to deliver value for money services and will work closely with all affected employees and trade union representatives to ensure the consultation is fair, transparent, and supportive.' A spokesperson from Transport Scotland said: 'We have been made aware of the situation at Amey and are awaiting further details of the confidential process they are currently undertaking. 'It is essential that a robust level of service is maintained as part of our maintenance contract in the South West trunk road unit.'
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ferry fares under review but no decision on RET, says minister
The Scottish government is reviewing west coast ferry fares, but insisted that no decisions have been made on the future of cheaper invests about £25m every year to reduce the cost of fares on CalMac crossings under a scheme called road equivalent tariff (RET).RET applies to both islanders and visitors, and is available on Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) - including the Western Isles, and if it could be scrapped for non-islanders, Connectivity Minister Jim Fairlie told BBC Naidheachdan that all options had to be "on the table and then ruled out one by one". He said fares were being looked at as part of a wider review of the resilience of CalMac's Fairlie added: "We are going to look at everything. There are no decisions made on anything at this stage." What is RET? RET is a distance-based fares structure and was introduced by the SNP on a trial basis in 2008 on routes to the Western Isles, Coll and was rolled out across the remaining CHFS routes by the Stornoway-Ullapool route, RET means a single fare for a foot passenger costs £12.30 and £66.75 for the scheme, they would cost £25.75 and £128.70, according to Transport said single fares on the Oban-Tiree route without RET would cost £22.60 for foot passengers and £135.60 for RET, they are £13.70 and £74.75. 'Supporting islanders' Mr Fairlie said the review would look at how more revenue could be raised to improve the resilience of CalMac's said: "I think people are wise enough to understand that governments have to look at every possible option."Mr Fairlie said the Scottish government was committed to supporting island Scotland said that, under the Islands Connectivity Plan, it was working towards implementing islander and non-islander fares across CHFS and Northern Isles networks. A spokesperson said: "No final decisions have been taken on the detail of this and there will be engagement with stakeholders in due course."
Scotsman
a day ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Level of support for A96 dualling revealed as ministers renew commitment to £5bn scheme
Bypasses of Elgin and Keith among popular priorities Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ministers have renewed their commitment to fully dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness as a consultation showed nearly two-thirds support and bypasses of Elgin and Keith seen as the priorities. However, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has still to decide whether to go ahead with the full scheme or parts of it, which was largely put on hold as part of an SNP-Scottish Greens power-sharing deal in 2021, which ended last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 86 miles of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverurie remain single carriageway | Google Street View The Scottish Conservatives pointed to 76 per cent dissatisfaction with a subsequent review of the scheme that included partial dualling as showing people wanted the full route upgraded. Transport Scotland published the results of a three month consultation into a range of improvements costing up to £1 billion on Thursday which attracted 1,441 responses. An 86-mile section between Inverness and south of Inverurie remains single carriageway. In November, Ms Hyslop abandoned the target of dualling it by 2030 at an estimated cost of up to £5bn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Government agency said 63 per cent expressed support for full dualling, although that wasn't specifically asked in the consultation questionnaire. Specific measures which received the greatest support were dual carriageway bypasses of Elgin and Keith, road safety improvements and upgrades to the Aberdeen-Inverness railway line, which runs largely parallel to the road. Ms Hyslop said: 'The position of the Scottish Government has not changed – the current favoured position is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn bypass, having acquired the land for the scheme earlier this year. 'I have now received the report on the feedback gathered during the consultation and will be considering the findings alongside the review's extensive appraisal and assessment work before a decision is made on improvements to the A96 corridor. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Any decision on the way ahead for the A96 corridor will need to take into consideration the UK Government's recent Spending Review and its impact on Scottish budgets, and the forthcoming update to the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan, expected later this year.' Scottish Conservatives North East MSP Douglas Lumsden said: 'These results categorically show what everyone wants and that's for the A96 to finally be dualled. 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this needs to happen, which is why this consultation was a ploy by the SNP to kick any decision into another parliamentary term. 'This sends an emphatic message to the SNP government to stop playing games with the lives of motorists and fulfil their promise of upgrading the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's scandalous that 14 years after they vowed to do this, the SNP still won't commit to upgrading the Aberdeenshire section or building a bypass for Inverurie.' But Transform Scotland director Colin Howden said: "The Scottish Government's transport capital investment is already horribly skewed towards vastly expensive road projects that simply don't stand up to scrutiny.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Erskine Bridge carraigeway closure on TRNSMT weekend as resurfacing works are carried out
The northbound carriageway of the Erskine Bridge will be closed to motorists from Friday, July 11, until Monday, July 14, as resurfacing and joint replacement work begins. A carriageway on the Erskine Bridge is to close for an entire weekend next month as resurfacing and joint replacement work is carried out. The northbound carriageway will be closed to motorists over the weekend, from July 11 until July 14, with revellers heading to the TRNSMT music festival urged to plan their trip in advance. Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland, is undertaking the essential works on the A898 Erskine Bridge northbound from 8pm on Friday, July 11, until 6am on Monday, July 14. Drivers are advised to plan their journey times accordingly, seek alternative routes or follow the diversions while the works are taking place. The southbound A898 Erskine Bridge will operate under a single lane closure. Emergency service access has been agreed and will be maintained in coordination with relevant parties. The works will see an investment of around £100,000 in the infrastructure of the Erskine Bridge and will improve the condition of the bridge joints and the road surface – increasing reliability and safety and ensuring the continued operation of the bridge and reducing the need for more extensive or disruptive works in the future. The following closures will be in place: M8 Junction 30 westbound off-slip to M898 northbound A898 / M898 northbound A898 northbound slips to Great Western Road (both northbound and southbound) A898 northbound on-slip to Erskine Bridge A single lane closure will also be required on the A898 southbound carriageway, and there will be a closure of the A82 southbound off-slips to Erskine Bridge. A signed diversion will instead be in force northbound. Eastbound M8 traffic (from Greenock/Port Glasgow) will continue on the eastbound M8 to the Kingston Bridge and on to the M8 Junction 17 off-slip (Charing Cross, Glasgow) to join the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). Westbound traffic wishing to access the A898 Erskine Bridge will instead be directed to turn at the M8 Junction 31 off-slip (West Ferry Interchange) to join the same eastbound diversion. Westbound M8 traffic (from Glasgow towards M898) intending to cross the A898 Erskine Bridge should instead follow the M8 to Kingston Bridge and on to the M8 Junction 17 off-slip (Charing Cross, Glasgow) to join the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). Westbound M74 traffic (towards M898) intending to cross the A898 Erskine Bridge should instead exit M74 Junction 1 (towards Kinning Park) and follow local signage to the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). Northbound M77 traffic (towards M898) intending to cross the A898 Erskine Bridge should instead travel on the eastbound M8 and follow local signage to join the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). The Erskine bridge southbound on slip from A82 westbound will be closed from 6am on Saturday, July 12, until 8pm on Sunday, July 13. Westbound A82 traffic intending to travel south on the A898 Erskine Bridge will instead be directed to continue west to Dunglass Roundabout, and then return eastbound to join the southbound A898 Erskine Bridge traffic. The Erskine bridge southbound on slip from A82 eastbound will be closed from 8pm until 6am on both nights of Friday, July 11, and Sunday, July 13. Eastbound A82 traffic intending to travel south on Erskine bridge will be diverted via Kilbowie Roundabout and access Erskine bridge from A82 westbound Local access to Erskine will be maintained via the B815 and the A726. Eastbound traffic (from Greenock/Port Glasgow) will continue on the eastbound M8 to Junction 30 to access Erskine via the A726. Westbound M8 traffic (from Glasgow to M898) wishing to access Erskine from the M8 will be diverted at the M8 Junction 31 off-slip road (West Ferry Interchange) to follow the eastbound diversion above to the A726. Local Erskine traffic intending to access the A82 Great Western Road, will be diverted at the A726 Spectacles Roundabout and join the southbound M8 off-slip road to the eastbound M8 and continue to the M8 Kingston Bridge Junction 17 off-slip road to join the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). Local access to Erskine (north of A898 Erskine Bridge) will be via the A726 to the A8 Greenock Road and from here following Inchinnan Road/Gleve Street/Glasgow Road/Renfrew Road/Shieldhall Road and the Clyde Tunnel and continuing on the Crow Road to join the westbound A82 (Great Western Road). An Amey spokesperson said: 'Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes where possible to avoid the M898/A898 during these works. 'Motorists attending the TRNSMT music festival during this period should plan their journeys in advance and consider alternative travel options. 'Please note, all works are weather dependent and may be postponed or rescheduled in the event of adverse weather.'
BBC News
a day ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Fully dualled A96 'remains favoured Scottish government position'
Making the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness fully dual carriageway remains the Scottish government's "current favoured position".Transport Scotland has published a new report summarising public feedback from a consultation on options aimed at improving the has been passed to Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, who said the preferred option had not changed from full dualling. Last year, a 2011 commitment to upgrade 86 miles (138km) of the route by 2030 was abandoned by the Scottish government. The A96 passes through large areas of farmland, and the route includes the towns of Nairn, Elgin and has long stretches of single carriageway and some shorter dualled road and crawler lanes. Ms Hyslop will now consider the feedback and assessment work, before the Scottish government makes a final decision on how to progress."The position of the Scottish government has not changed," she said."The current favoured position is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn bypass, having acquired the land for the scheme earlier this year." How many responded to the A96 consultation? She said it was a sign of the public interest that more than 1,400 responses to the consultation were received."It was important that local people, businesses and communities were given the opportunity to help inform the government's final decision on how to take forward improvements to the A96 corridor," Ms Hyslop 12-week consultation took place from November to than 60% of respondents expressed support for the current commitment to fully dual the A96.
