AECOM has been appointed to carry out a study into improving transport connectivity near Fort William in the Highlands.

The consultancy has started work to identify opportunities for strategic multi-modal transport improvements to support local and nationally significant economic developments within the area. The scope of the work includes, railway, marine and active travel infrastructure.

A draft pre-appraisal report is scheduled to be produced by early summer. The study will be project managed and overseen by a steering group which includes representatives of council, HITRANS, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Transport Scotland. HITRANS, HIE and the Council have agreed to jointly fund the study.

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Cllr Allan Henderson, said: "Fort William is a dynamic and diverse area. It is a truly multi-modal area, served directly by road and rail, with onward connections to ferry ports on the west coast.

"It is also served by long distance cycling and walking routes. It not only functions as a place to live and work, but has strategic economic importance as a leisure and tourism hub, promoted as the Outdoor Capital of the UK. The area continues to grow in terms of land use development, and visitor numbers, generating additional trips using the existing transport infrastructure.

"The best people to tell us the problems are the key transport providers and users of the local transport network and I'm sure they will have some pretty good ideas on how to fix them. I'm sure the consultants will be busy speaking with the stakeholders to identify the opportunities that will influence the development of solutions."

(LM)