Scottish Government funding will take more lorries off the A9
The Scottish Government has announced funding to help take more lorries off the A9 Inverness-Perth road and instead move freight to rail.
Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has confirmed the grants worth £773,408 for 11 freight services to transport goods by rail instead of by road.
Two key rail freight services in Scotland and nine cross-border services will benefit from funding in the coming year.
Transporting goods by road is often the most cost-effective way for companies however the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant means that companies can use rail or inland waterway without being out of pocket.
Mr Brown said: "This grant helps to relieve pressure on Scotland’s busy trunk roads by offering financial support to companies who wish to transport their goods by rail or inland waterway.
"It will contribute to the sustainability of Scotland by reducing congestion, carbon emissions, noise, accidents and damage to the road network.
"We realise that moving freight by rail or inland waterways isn’t always the most cost-effective option and this funding bridges that gap."
In addition to the nine cross-border freight services, which are jointly funded by the Department for Transport, two wholly Scottish daily rail freight services will be supported this year.
An Eddie Stobart service which will remove 10,650 lorry trips per year from the roads between the Central Belt and Inverness including a significant section of the A9.
Also benefiting is a DRS service which will remove 7,700 lorry trips from the roads between the Central Belt and Aberdeen.
The Scottish Government operates four freight mode shift grant schemes, which aim to enable companies to transport freight by rail or water rather than road without financial penalty.
