Cabinet Secretary Keith Brown has spoken of the opportunities available to Scottish businesses by developing a high speed rail line (HS2) for the country.

Mr Brown addressed supply chain industry leaders at a conference in Edinburgh on Thursday, 05 November.

He stated the construction of a high speed line to Scotland and the North of England would build "skills, capability and jobs" for the next generation.

"We have the ambition and opportunity to see Scotland benefit from HS2," Mr Brown said.

"Our record in delivery speaks for itself with major projects such as the Borders Railway, the longest stretch of new railway line to be built in the UK in over 100 years, alongside massive engineering investments such as the Queensferry Crossing, AWPR and A9 dualling, representing some of the biggest and most significant transport infrastructure projects anywhere in Europe.

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"The construction of these has given a huge boost to the local and national economy and has seen Scottish firms benefit from contracts and subcontracts."

Mr Brown went on to say Scotland's supply chain could play a 'key role' in the construction of a HSE route.

"Part of my commitment to seeing the construction of a high speed rail link to Scotland will be the input of the Scottish supply chain, including architects, project managers and engineers," he added. "Not only is it vital that we take advantage of the wealth of talent and skills we have at our disposal now, but that we can also use this opportunity to secure them for future generations."

The speech comes ahead of the delivery of a study commissioned by Transport Scotland and the Department of Transport.

The report will contain details on potential route options to Scotland at the end of this year

Bryan Buchan, CEO of Scottish Engineering, said: "Scotland's strong engineering base, particularly the specialist metal machining sector, puts a large number of Scottish companies in a position to contribute to the supply chain for HS2.

"Two major players in Scotland, Progress Rail and Network Engineering (part of Babcock International), for example already have specific expertise in railway construction and servicing. 

"The precision machine houses that support the oil and gas industry can also bring the expertise needed to deliver this major engineering project."

(LM/CD)