Transport Network Steering Group
Notes of Meeting
Thursday 4th June 2015
Present
Andy Lyall, David Phillips, Jenny Milne, Joanna Murray, Steve Walker, Matt North, Emily
Seaman, Chris Patterson, Rab Dickson, Paul Deans, Kellie Heath, Roule Wood, Seona
Shand, Lee-Ann Stewart, Rachel Elliott, Irina Bonavino, Lucie Buresova
Apologies
Carol Benzie, Chris Bain, Chris Douglas, Colin Parker, David Gray, Derick Murray, Duncan
Cameron, Ewan Wallace, Graham Dale, John Low, John Nelson, John Clark, Jonathan
Ashman, Karen Watt, Maggie Bochel, Mike Reynolds, Paul Finch, John Michie
Welcome
Seona chaired the meeting on behalf of Carol Benzie who gave her apologies. Seona
welcomed all attendees and thanked Joanna Murray for hosting.
Notes of Last Meeting
Agreed.
Updates
Rail
Rab Dickson of Nestrans kindly gave an update for rail activities which covered the
following –
 Smooth transition for Abellio take over
 East Coast trains will be upgraded to include larger capacity, improvement on
comfort and reliability. This will be rolled out over 2016 – 2018
 Aberdeen station will undergo a major upgrade in conjunction with the City
Masterplan although there are no further details at the moment
 Introduction of bicycle hubs within the station
 Upgrade of Aberdeen to Inverness line with duelling of the track between Inverurie
and Aberdeen as well as a new station at Kintore
Air
Kellie Heath of Aberdeen International Airport kindly gave an update for air activities which
included the following –
 2014 recorded as the busiest year to date
 Passenger numbers dropped in March and April due to current climate





Airport is now owned by AGS Airports which is a partnership between Ferrovial and
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA)
Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, has been appointed as the
CEO for AGS as a group
A £1 charge for entry to the forecourt was introduced on the 7th January. Although it
was not well received by the press there has been a significant improvement in traffic
congestion and safety
Terminal redevelopment has been monitored by the shareholders and has been
approved pending the finalisation of planning
New routes to be launched including the first ever route to Poland which will be
available from 19th June on a twice weekly service
Road
Steve Walker of Stagecoach and David Phillips of First Aberdeen kindly gave an update for
public transport which covered the following –
 First Aberdeen have 3 hydrogen buses running a service daily
 Stagecoach have 6 hydrogen buses running the X17 service from Westhill to
Aberdeen
 Regional Director of First Aberdeen is in talks with the Transport Minister in relation
to the AWPR
 First Aberdeen have a presence at all Council meetings to ensure quality feedback
can be given and improvements can be actioned
Joanna Murray kindly gave an update on infrastructure –
 The AWPR – Balmedie to Tipperty is on route for completion in 2017
 The Dyce link road is anticipated for completion in late 2017
 Park & Choose service is anticipated for completion in Summer 2017
 The third Don crossing is anticipated to be complete by the end of this year
 A proposal to extend the bus lane usage times on Great Northern Road – West
bound towards the Haudigan have been approved and will be changed in the next
few weeks. This small change is likely to make a huge improvement to congestion at
peak times
Sea
Matt North of Aberdeen Harbour kindly gave an update on sea activities which covered the
following –
 The Nigg Bay project is progressing successfully following a large-scale
Environmental Impact Assessment which should be completed by the end of August
 Community engagement and roadshows have provided the project with good
support and feedback so far
 There has been strong vessel and cargo handling activity in the first two quarters of
this year with vessel numbers strong ahead of last year

Visit from Fergus Ewing was positive and included a tour of the Harbour and an
insight into the plans for Nigg Bay
Strategic Transport Study – Fraserburgh and Peterhead to Aberdeen
Emily Seaman, Senior Transportation Consultant of SIAS Limited gave an informative
presentation on the Fraserburgh and Peterhead to Aberdeen Strategic Transport Study.
Emily started by highlighting the purpose of the study –
‘Identify and examine the options for improving strategic transport connections between
Fraserburgh, Peterhead, and Aberdeen incorporating the Energetica Corridor’.
Emily then explained a bit about the Energetica Corridor –
 Flagship project of Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future
 World class development corridor to establish global hub for energy sector
 Covers 30 mile stretch from Bridge of Don in Aberdeen, north to Peterhead and west
to Aberdeen Airport
 25 year period from 2008
Future transport proposals were covered –
 AWPR & Balmedie to Tipperty duelling
 3rd Don crossing
 Aberdeen to Inverness improvements and a new station at Kintore
 Park & Ride:
 A96, A90(S), Ellon expansion
 Haudagain roundabout improvements
 Dyce Drive link road
 South College Street/Berryden corridor improvements
 City centre pedestrianisation
Emily stated that Aberdeen City and Shire region expected to be fastest growing in Scotland
over next 20 years with the development of 12,500 houses in Aberdeen and 9,000 houses in
Aberdeenshire.
Emily explained the engagement programme process of the study which included talking to
a range of organisations and authorities. These were outlined in a useful diagram which can
be viewed within the presentation circulated with the minutes.
An open discussion then took place covering a range of questions which can also be viewed
within the presentation. Any feedback prior to the meeting in relation to these questions can
be forwarded to Emily – emily.seaman@sias.com
Policy Update
Rachel Elliott, Policy Executive at AGCC gave a short update on the policy activities –
 Delays on the Barriers to Bus Use report – once the report is ready it will be
circulated to the group. It will also be added to the agenda for the next meeting.
 Rachel handed out an AGCC Policy Summary for High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) – also
attached with minutes. Feedback on the summary is welcomed and can be forward
to Irina – irina.bonavino@agcc.co.uk
AOB
A reminder was given for AGCC’s AGM on the 17th June which will be followed by a
networking event – ‘Discovering the wider Chamber Network’ – more details can be found on
the website www.agcc.co.uk/book
Joanna Murray suggested a presentation from the Council and/or Nestrans to go over the
Cross City Transport Connections study as well as the City Region Deal.
Date of Next Meeting
Thursday 26th November – venue to be confirmed.
Volunteers to host future meetings always welcomed.