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Transport Scotland has two main office locations, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh, with additional staff on site at the Forth Replacement Crossing, Fife. Both the main Glasgow and Edinburgh locations are where the bulk of Transport Scotland staff are permanently based. Transport Scotland staff travel across Scotland to fulfil their duties in the planning and delivery of infrastructure projects, engaging with communities as well as providing oversight to the performance and operation of service contracts including those for rail and ferries services.

The following table details the staff numbers by year and local authority area.

Transport Scotland will lead a multi modal study assessing transport constraints and opportunities in the Borders, including examining the case for extending the railway. Procurement of the study is currently under way, funding will come from existing budgets and it is currently expected that the study will be complete by the end of 2017. As this work is at an early scoping stage it is not currently possible to estimate costs or timescales.

Investing in rail is a key priority of the Scottish Government, with over £7 billion committed since 2007 to support Network Rail’s operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the rail infrastructure, and to deliver the economic and social benefits of the ScotRail franchise contract across the full network. This core investment is not disaggregated to individual route levels.

With respect to improvements between Kilmarnock and Dumfries, additional capacity has been provided as patronage levels have grown with longer trains operating at peak periods, and station facilities have been enhanced along the route. Further improvements for passengers are also planned from 2017, with the introduction of refurbished rolling stock and additional weekday and weekend services.

Transport Scotland meets regularly with Scotland Transerv to review the timetable for the completion of the works and is currently looking for opportunities to accelerate the programme for completion.

The area of land adjacent to the M74 between Moffat and Gretna which the Scottish Government owns is approximately 3.01 million square metres, that includes any area of land which, if found to be surplus to Scottish Government requirements, will be subject to disposal in accordance with appropriate procedures.

The Scottish Government is continuing to co-fund the Road Collaboration Programme. The Programme was established in December 2013 to explore opportunities for road authorities to share services and is overseen by a Board comprising Transport Scotland, members of the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), SOLACE, COSLA and the Improvement Service. The Programme's aims include encouraging and supporting authorities to share best practice, innovation and expertise.

Furthermore, the Scottish Road Research board meet quarterly to commission and co-ordinate research projects.

to deliver improvements in safety, construction, operation and maintenance to both the trunk and local road network. The Board's objectives include promoting and delivering innovation, sharing new products, techniques and knowledge across Scotland’s road sector.

Since 2007 a total of £39,023,818 has been invested in the A76. This figure includes £5,553,485 investment for the Glen Airlie improvement scheme.

The Scottish Government recognises that Lockerbie provides a key rail hub, with links both north and south, and therefore aims to protect and enhance the number of stopping services at Lockerbie Station. Lockerbie station is served predominantly by First TransPennine Express services, with additional Virgin Trains services.

(a) First TransPennine Express (TPE): Following meetings between Transport Scotland officials and First Group in 2015, our proposals for greater connectivity for Lockerbie [and Motherwell] have been addressed, and the new franchise will deliver additional early morning/late evening services between Lockerbie and Edinburgh/Glasgow to facilitate commuting and recreational opportunities from 2017. Additionally, TPE has responded to our concerns by, for instance, calling at Carstairs so as to allow Lockerbie commuters to connect with ScotRail’s Edinburgh-bound services.

(b) Virgin West Coast: The Scottish Government’s response to the recent Inter City West Coast refranchising consultation, made clear that there ought to be a focus by Train Operating Companies on working with others to deliver improvements at stations, including Lockerbie, with measures to increase connectivity and attractiveness particularly welcome.

(c) ScotRail: Lockerbie station is managed by ScotRail but their services do not call at the station.

The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places statutory responsibility for local roads, including structures, improvements, maintenance and repair with local roads authorities. The Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government in 2016-17 and it is for individual councils to allocated funding based on local needs and priorities, including funding for road repairs.

In August 2016, Audit Scotland reported a significant variation in road condition among councils. For example, in 2014-15, the proportion of local roads in acceptable condition ranged from 44% in Argyll and Bute Council to 79% in Orkney Islands Council.

From a national perspective the Scottish Government continues to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and uses that forum to actively engage with councils to explore opportunities for the sharing of services for road maintenance activities.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the maintenance of the A76 trunk road. Investment over financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 has totalled £5.76 million. This includes continued expenditure on landslip/embankment stability works which include ground investigation, geotechnical design and construction works. So far (from winter 2014) the Scottish Government has committed approximately £456,000 towards the delivery of improvement works to resolve these.