Revolutionise Scottish Railways

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Railways are the key to a greener future

We need to be serious about becoming a green and sustainable country and as a result we need to invest heavily in railways throughout Scotland. All the major inter-city routes should be double-track throughout and electrified. This would make electric-hauled passenger trains faster and greener, but just as importantly would allow for fast, frequent and efficient rail-freight services to flourish. Electrifying our railways and providing a step-change in capacity, which is already being provided for the A9 and A96 roads alone costing £6bn, is imperative to truly reduce carbon emissions and make our roads safer. Our rural lines to the Far North, West Highlands and South-West Scotland, need to benefit from huge investment too. Increasing the number of passing loops and removing speed restrictions for example, would create faster, more reliable and sustainable routes to our more remote communities. Instead of hand-me-down units unfit for rural railways, we should have purpose-built trains capitalising on the huge tourist potential of this country as well as benefiting regular travellers. If we are truly serious about reducing emissions, a revolution in railway investment for all of Scotland is the only solution.