In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government is to provide a further £8 million of emergency funding for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams.
This will bring the government’s emergency support up to £21 million and this level of funding will now be in place the end of March 2021.
This funding announcement follows detailed discussions with the Scottish Government regarding available resources due to the unprecedented impact that COVID-19 has had on travel demand.
Michael Matheson, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity said: “We continue to see reduced capacity on public transport with travel restrictions and physical distancing in place however we still need to ensure services continue for those that need to travel for essential purposes.
“The light rail networks in Glasgow and Edinburgh continue to play a part in this ongoing sustainable transport response and will be crucial in the longer term social and economic recovery to provide essential links within Scotland’s two largest cities. The support to date has enabled these light rail networks to carry over 2 million trips since July, further demonstrating the importance of these services.
“Glasgow and Edinburgh are expected to see significant financial constraint over the coming months and as such we are providing further financial assistance until the end of the financial year to enable services to continue.
“I would again like to thank all the people working across the light rail sector who have, and continue to, provide services for key workers and others who needed to travel for essential journeys to do so during very challenging circumstances.”
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