Businesses in Scotland have received £154 million from public railworks, with three-fifths going to large companies and corporations, Network Rail has revealed.
Rail projects created £63m for small and medium-sized companies and £91m for larger firms, supporting around 4,300 jobs in addition to the 2,100 staff directly employed by Network Rail.
Network Rail’s major projects division, responsible for enhancement schemes such as the Borders Railway, the Edinburgh-Glasgow improvement programme (Egip), and the Crossrail and Thameslink projects in and around London, spent a total of £3.2 billion in 2012-13.
David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said: “The rail industry is increasingly recognised as a key contributor to our national, economic and social well-being.
“In Scotland, rail is enjoying a level of popularity and patronage unmatched at any other time in the post-war years.
“The network is also benefiting from significant and sustained levels of investment too, with the new Airdrie-Bathgate line completed in 2010, the Paisley Canal line electrified last year and work on the Borders and Egip projects currently under way.
“However, railways don’t just move people and freight, they also connect homes and workplaces, businesses with markets, create jobs, stimulate trade and support the growth of a balanced economy.”