 | 'A revitalised and effective
SNP are vital to the democratic health of the nation. They are the main opposition party; they should not just
hold the government to account they should be brimming with ideas to replace it.' Sunday Herald editorial, 15 th August 2004. |  |
A BULLET train between Edinburgh and Glasgow and the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness could be within reach if the SNP gains power under Alex Salmond, the SNP leadership contender claimed today.
Mr Salmond's plans to revolutionise Scotland's infrastructure are based on the idea of a trust fund, based on private and public investment.
Writing jointly with his running mate, Nicola Sturgeon, in The Scotsman today, Mr Salmond explains how such a fund could change the face of Scotland's transport system.
Mr Salmond said: "The appalling botch of the Holyrood project should have taught us (at least) two lessons.
"Firstly, that big decisions have to be kept well clear of a sclerotic bureaucracy, and secondly, that autocratic decision-making leads to expensive follies.
"We therefore propose to establish a Scottish Trust for National Investment to channel funds and initiate a national process of debate in the Scottish Parliament to set the first investment priorities. These should then be market-tested by the issue of public bonds, tied to specific projects."
He added: "Early candidates for inclusion might be a 'bullet train' between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a train link between all three central-belt airports, dualling the A9 and the trunk-road network in the south-west and north-east of the country ... and electrifying the Glasgow-Edinburgh-Aberdeen 'rail triangle'."
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