SNP projects run 67 years late and £1.3bn over budget, including Glen Sannox, A9 dualling, HMP Glasgow
Scottish Labour says the analysis shows the SNP cannot be trusted with taxpayers’ money.
More than £1.3 billion of taxpayers’ money has been wasted on SNP infrastructure projects which have overrun, with delays now totalling a whopping 67 years, according to opposition politicians.
Data from the Scottish Government’s major capital project updates, which monitors the progress of the government’s infrastructure investment plan between 2021 and 2026, shows dozens of projects have been delayed and over-budget.
This includes major delays to the new MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa ferries, the A9 dualling being 10 years behind schedule, and significant delays to new prisons in Glasgow and the Highlands, according to analysis by Scottish Labour.
Michael Marra MSP, Scottish Labour’s finance spokesman, said: “Once again the SNP has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted with public money.
“While Scotland’s crumbling infrastructure is crying out for investment, SNP mismanagement has cost more than £1bn and left key projects running decades late.
“The SNP’s failure to deliver the infrastructure our country needs is taking a real toll on our public services.
“Our NHS is at crisis point, prisons are bursting at the seams, islanders are waiting for new ferries and drivers are stuck with dangerous roads.
“Scots cannot keep paying the price of SNP failure.”
Mr Marra says his party would “end SNP mismanagement and waste” by reforming procurement rules if they win the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
The biggest delays are seen in transport infrastructure progress, which have delays totalling 28 years, eight months and 13 days
- A77 Maybole bypass, £3m overrun and 396 days delayed
- A92/96 Haudagain junction improvement, 501 days delayed
- A9 Luncarty to Pass of Birnam dualling, 240 days delayed
- A9 Tomatin to Moy dualling, £111m overrun and 882 days delayed
- Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme, 1,738 days delayed
- Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa rail electrification, £128m overrun
- Highland mainline phase two, £300,000 overrun
- Reston and East Linton rail stations, 347 days delayed
- East Kilbride rail enhancement, £34m overrun, 335 days delayed
- Levenmouth rail project, £46.6m overrun, 154 days delayed,
- Dalcross Station, £2.4m overrun, 33 days delayed
- Two new CalMac ferries, £216.75m overrun, 2,998 days delayed
- Fife decarbonisation, £101.5m overrun and 1,461 days delayed
- Borders railway decarbonisation, £41.1m overrun and 945 days delayed
- Markle level crossing bridge replacement, £3.3m overrun and 453 days delayed
- A9 Tay Crossing to Ballinluig dualling, £35m overrun
Health infrastructure projects have delays of 22 years and 15 days, including:
- Aberdeen Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre, £97.4m overrun and 1,372 days delayed
- Redesign of NHS Highland services in Badenoch and Strathspey, 1,342 days delayed
- Clydebank Health and Care Centre, 222 days delayed
- National waiting times centre board hospital expansion programme phase two, £1.6m overrun and 489 days delayed
- NHS Highland national treatment centre, £7.3m overrun and 152 days delayed
- NHS Fife elective orthopaedic centre, £200,000 overrun and 91 days delayed
- NHS Forth Valley national treatment centre, £1.1m overrun and 1,128 days delayed
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde north-east hub, £4.4m overrun and 211 days delayed
- NHS Lothian oncology enabling projects and Edinburgh Cancer Centre, £4m overrun and 506 days delayed
- NHS Ayrshire and Arran national secure adolescent inpatient service, £200,000 overrun and 732 days delayed
- NHS Tayside children’s theatre suite project and multistorey plant room, £1.3m overrun and 556 days delayed
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde radionuclide dispensary, £500,000 overrun and 274 days delayed
Delays to major justice projects total 11 years, two months and 13 days, including:
- HMP Highland, £135.4m overrun and 1,919 days delayed
- National facility for women offenders, £32.56m overrun and 961 days delayed
- Dundee community custodial unit, £700,000 overrun and 335 days delayed
- Lilias Centre, Maryhill community custodial unit, £1m overrun and 389 days delayed
- HMP Barlinnie improvement programme, £1.3m overrun and 122 days delayed
- HMP Glasgow, £252m overrun, 366 days delayed.
There have also been delays to education infrastructure projects are five years, one month and 29 days, including:
- Dunfermline Learning Campus, £68m overrun and 1,886 days delayed.
Craig Hoy MSP, the Scottish Conservatives’ finance spokesman, said: “SNP mismanagement has cost untold millions without producing the promised infrastructure and transport upgrades.
“Whether it’s ferries that are years late, a botched bottle return scheme, a National Care Service that no one wanted or the billion-pound prison that still hasn’t been built, the nats have recklessly splurged taxpayers’ money and failed to deliver.”
This also comes as data obtained by the Scottish Lib Dems via a freedom of information request revealed there have been over 16,000 ferry sailings cancelled due to technical faults since 2023.
Between January 1, 2023 and October 31, 2025, there were 16,039 sailings cancelled. In total, cancellations including due to weather conditions were 36,707.
The routes with the highest number of cancellations due to technical faults was Gourock to Dunoon, followed by Tarbert to Portavadie and Mallaig to Armadale. Not a single route was unaffected by technical faults in this time.
The Scottish Government has defended this, saying it has a “proven track record” on successfully delivering major infrastructure projects.
A spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is committed to delivering critical infrastructure projects and has a proven track record of successfully doing so - such as the Levenmouth rail project, the net zero Parkhead health hub and the new offenders’ facility in Stirling.
“The infrastructure strategy and pipeline will be published alongside the Scottish budget on 13 January.”
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