Transport / ‘Important milestone’ on the horizon for transport network project
“AN IMPORTANT milestone” is fast approaching for a significant review of Shetland’s inter-island transport network.
Shetland Islands Council’s development director Neil Grant said a strategic business case should come before elected members in June.
This could then be followed by a more detailed outline business case later in the year.
The inter-island transport connectivity programme has been underway since last year and it has involved community engagement on transport provision to the islands.
It is expected that future options for transport links, such as ferries and potentially fixed links, will be set out.
Business cases which result from the programme would then be used for decisions on future connectivity options for Shetland’s islands.
The programme is particularly significant given that is taking a fresh look at the idea of tunnels being built to some of Shetland’s islands.
Speaking at a meeting of the SIC’s environment and transport committee on Monday, Grant said initial work has looked at “making the case for change” – with a “huge amount” of information gained so far.
He said the strategic business case being ready for reporting in June is an “important milestone”.
Meanwhile Grant said harbour work for the new Fair Isle ferry project is progressing well.
He told councillors that work at the North Haven harbour in Fair Isle is ahead of schedule, and that a contract for the vessel build is set to be awarded soon.
Harbour work is also ongoing at Grutness in Shetland’s South Mainland.
Grant said the ferry construction should take 15 months from the agreement of contract, with the aim of the boat being delivered in the second half of 2026.
This £45.4 million project has received nearly £27 million in funding from the UK Government, with the SIC pledging the rest.
Grant also gave a fresh update on work around public and school bus contracts.
As previously reported, existing contracts have been extended for 12 months through to August 2026 so more time can be given to a project exploring what future services should look like.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting, Grant said an outline business case could be presented in June for councillors to select a preferred option.
“That’s been a very difficult piece of work to be involved with in terms of looking at the options,” he said.
“I think there’s up to 15 options that have been investigated.
“The significant challenge there is providing a bus network that’s future-proofed, but is affordable.”
The final business case could then be presented in January, with contracts awarded in February before they go live in August 2026.
With a number of significant projects on the go, however, committee chair Moraig Lyall expressed concern at the vacancy level in transport planning.
She said, compared to some other areas of the directorate, there has been a “bit of a deterioration” in staffing levels in transport planning.
“I think it’s quite concerning the gaps that there are there,” Lyall said.
She encouraged officials to take the necessary steps to ensure there are sufficient personnel in place to allow the projects continue to make progress.
Grant said there were vacancies of 3.5 people in what was already a “small service”.
He said the transport planning manager has been using some funds to “buy in service” in the short term, but added there is a “good plan” going forward regarding organising resources.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
