Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline 2026

A new Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline for Scotland

This new Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline gives the construction sector and the public clarity on the major projects and programmes we will be investing in over the next four years.

The First Minister has been clear about this Government’s priorities: growing the economy, eradicating child poverty, tackling climate change and delivering sustainable public services. These priorities form the basis for this pipeline, which sets out Scottish Government investment of £11.1 billion, as well as our plans to develop new revenue-funded programmes of investment. Key investments include:

• creating more affordable homes by investing £4.1 billion;
• targeted investment across the NHS estate, which will improve resilience and enable modernisation of both property and services. Our whole-system NHS infrastructure plan will consider need across all of Scotland, supporting continued safe and effective use of the existing estate and determination of longer-term investment priorities;
• confirming funding for completing all phases of work to dual the A9 and progressing with completion of the sections from Perth to Inverness;
• £1.2 billion investment in the period renewing our rail fleet and ferry vessels and associated enabling works;
• supporting justice and prisoner welfare through investing over £700 million in HMP Glasgow and the completion of HMP Highland;
• investing £519 million to deliver rail electrification in Fife and the Borders over the course of the Spending Review period; and
• investing £150 million over the next four years towards the replacement of two existing Marine Protection and Research Vessels, ensuring continuity of this capability, which represents a critical factor in safeguarding fish stocks and underpins a Scottish fishing industry which supports over 4,200 jobs.

The full list of projects and programmes included in the delivery pipeline is shown in annex A; the development and future pipelines can be found in annex B.

The Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline is a continuation of the pipeline set out in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment Plan and some projects and programmes listed in that plan are listed here as they near completion.

A few projects listed in the 2021 IIP have not been listed specifically in the new Pipeline. These are in the Health sector where, as the overall capital funding position remains challenging, the Scottish Government is working with all Health Boards to develop a whole system infrastructure plan (WSIP), rather than individual Boards developing business cases for future projects in isolation. This process will identify investment priorities across NHS Scotland. Projects that had previously begun the business case process but were then paused, such as the remaining National Treatment Centres and the Gilbert Bain Hospital, will be considered as part of this whole system planning work, with priorities determined based on strategic needs assessment across the whole of the NHS estate.

Within the Transport sector, since the 2021 IIP the Scottish Government has published the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 | Transport Scotland, a long-term framework for investment in transport infrastructure, which will guide long-term investment in Scotland’s strategic transport network through its recommendations. This Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline includes transport projects and programmes which are being delivered and developed, aligned to the Scottish Government’s whole portfolio of infrastructure investments, the Spending Review and STPR2.

The Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline is a live document, and new projects and programmes will be added to the pipeline at future updates, as investment plans are agreed.

Public sector organisations spend a significant proportion of their capital budgets maintaining and improving their asset base. The investment hierarchy stresses the importance of them doing so, to ensure we make best use of our assets. The proposed spend on capital maintenance is over £7 billion over the Scottish Spending Review period. This is in addition to the spending on the projects and programmes set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline.

Tackling Child Poverty

We are committed to delivering on the ambitious targets set through the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, supporting children and families to thrive. Wide-ranging infrastructure investment is essential to our national mission on child poverty. From investing in the energy efficiency of our homes, to our public transport networks and supporting businesses to create new jobs, the projects and programmes in this pipeline will underpin our efforts to tackle and reduce child poverty in Scotland.

Scotland needs warm, affordable homes and we are supporting that with up to £4.9 billion of investment of which £4.1 billion will be public sector investment over the next four years. As part of this, we will work collaboratively with the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to accelerate housing investment, leverage additional private investment and boost overall housing supply.

This investment will work to leverage additional new private sector investment to support the delivery of 36,000 affordable homes, and is expected to provide a warm, safe home for up to 24,000 children. This represents a significant contribution to our child poverty mission by helping families to leave unsuitable temporary accommodation. We will attract new entrants to the affordable housing sector in Scotland, including through fund-based approaches that can utilise public capital efficiently. Working alongside SNIB, we will unlock large-scale strategic opportunities that provide both quality new homes and build new communities.

Growing the Economy

Infrastructure investment is recognised as a driver for economic growth with an estimated yield of up to £2 for every pound invested. It supports productivity, innovation and competitiveness by improving connectivity, enabling access to markets and strengthening regional economies. Investment in transport, digital networks and energy systems helps to unlock private capital, attract international investment and support high-value sectors.

Our investments will support industrial growth, decarbonisation of our industries and the development of new technologies – our Pipeline includes investment to decarbonise how we heat our homes and businesses, develop new low-carbon technologies, and decarbonise our transport networks. Sustained and targeted investment in gigabit-capable fibre networks will further strengthen Scotland’s digital infrastructure, enabling innovation, digital adoption and new economic activity. We are investing in regional economies the length and breadth of Scotland: our housing investment will benefit communities across Scotland, and our major capital investments in the health and prison services will bring work to construction firms and small medium enterprises from Glasgow to the Islands.

Climate Change

The transition to a net zero and climate-resilient Scotland will transform our economy and society, and investment in infrastructure is key to enabling this progress. The public and private sectors must work together if we are to achieve our climate change ambitions – by building net zero infrastructure which will support the decarbonisation of our economy and society, and by climate-proofing our existing infrastructure. The move to net zero and climate adaptation is not all about higher costs. The Climate Change Committee suggests that there will be benefits that, in aggregate, outweigh the costs.

In the next four years, as part of taking forward the policies set out in our Climate Change Plan, we will invest £110 million in peatland restoration and £186 million in woodland creation. We will also support decarbonisation of buildings via the £1.3 billion Heat in Buildings programme, and we will invest £1.4 billion in our Low Carbon and Sustainable Travel Programme.

High Quality and Sustainable Public Services

Our vision is a Scotland where everyone has access to efficient, high-quality and effective services. This pipeline includes investment in our health, justice and education estates to deliver those services. In addition to this, the Public Service Reform Strategy sets out our commitment to a more efficient, joined up and preventative system, showing how we will significantly increase the pace and scale of reform to deliver that vision.

Public sector reform will see us driving up efficiency, moving away from solely ‘bricks and mortar’ solutions to digital provision supported by AI, utilising the public estate to its full potential by delivering over £50 million of benefits from the Single Scottish Estate programme and carrying out essential maintenance to ensure safe and efficient operations.