A new post of transport policy manager has been created by north development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) - a move intended to secure progress in improving and safeguarding the area's vital transport links.

The new manager is 36 year old Tom Matthew, who joins HIE from a background in economic and transport consultancy. Brought up in Galloway and educated at Glasgow University he worked within various firms before becoming one of the co-founders of the successful Ekos consultancy - where he set up and ran the Inverness office. This background includes an involvement with some recent key transport projects in the area such as the Eriskay causeway and the Corran ferry.

Previously HIE's transport development responsibilities had been amalgamated in a job with wider community responsibility - the creation of a dedicated manager's post underlines the importance given to these issues by the Enterprise Network.

Tom Matthew said: "I was keen to join HIE because I was looking for a role which has a direct influence on transport policy both within the Highlands and Islands and within Scotland as a whole. In an area like this it is impossible to under-estimate the significance of transport to daily life, and the wider development effort. For example without a strong and effective transport network it would be more difficult to encourage inward investment projects to the area, and harder for local companies to send their exports abroad."

The key transport priorities for the area include: securing the air link between Inverness and London Gatwick; developing the strategic rail network- especially the connections to Aberdeen and Edinburgh; working to achieve a secure and enhanced set of ferry services on the west coast as a result of the future tendering of CalMac services; and promoting more investment in the trunk road network. In addition to these strategic projects Tom will be responsible for the delivery of the Rural Petrol Station Scheme which is enabling significant investment in remote petrol stations and LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) facilities.

Tom Matthew continued: "One of my aspirations would be to see the transport services of the Highlands and Islands more closely aligned with what's available elsewhere. In other parts of Scotland and the UK there are fast catamaran ferries and access to low-cost airlines - we should be working to catch up with this provision and certainly trying to ensure we don't fall behind."

Director of strengthening communities Stuart Black said: "We are delighted to have someone of Tom's background and experience working on HIE's transport brief. We are living and working in the most dispersed and sparsely populated area in Europe - and it is vital that the transport infrastructure we have matches this reality - making it easier for people to travel for work, or social reasons. I am confident that Tom will be able to make a significant contribution to developing just such a transport framework."