Ministers invited to end delay and confusion on announcing tenders for the Borders Railway (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Liberal Democrats)

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Liberal Democrats <Charles.Cavaye@talktalk.net>

Ministers invited to end delay and confusion on announcing tenders for the Borders Railway

October 23, 2009 1:04 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Finance Secretary John Swinney is attending the South of Scotland Forum meeting on the 2nd November, and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale MSP Jeremy Purvis and Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk MP Michael Moore have written to the First Minister asking for the Borders Railway to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union and for the project to be delivered without any further delay.

Commenting, Jeremy Purvis said:

"We've just had spin and counter spin from the SNP Government. Last August they announced a timetable saying the project should be advertised in the European Journal in December 2008. They have delayed this project for a year and despite this recently claimed that they had actually speeded up the tendering process!

"They tell Borders Council that the delay was a result of new international accounting rules, but then they deny this publicly. They told me that there is considerable interest in constructing the line but then they told the parliament's transport committee that the 'market conditions' were not right to proceed with the project at this stage.

"We simply need an end to all this, and have the project advertised and allow the procurement and construction to begin."

Michael Moore added:

"Since the Waverley Railway Bill passed the parliament in autumn 2006 the SNP Government has now been responsible for the project longer than anyone else and they cannot simply put forward more excuses.

"That is why when the South of Scotland Forum meets we want the Government to announce the project will be entering formal tendering. We also want them to commit that they are not slipping the deadline for financial close on the project due in December 2010 that allows contracts to be signed for the construction and finance consortium. We can't afford any more delays to this vital project."