Renewed calls for direct rail link with Edinburgh
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith has renewed her campaign to persuade the Scottish Government to commit to creating a faster rail link between Perth and Edinburgh.
The politician promised to continue pressing the government to upgrade connections between the two cities after raising the issue with the transport minister Michael Matheson during a virtual portfolio session.
Ms Smith believes reopening a direct rail link to the capital would reduce journey times by over half an hour but is concerned Scottish ministers do not currently consider the project to be a top priority.
Kinross-shire councillor Callum Purves also sees potential in the project and has decided to back Ms Smith’s campaign as he hopes a park and ride station could also be established in Kinross later down the line.
Ms Smith told the PA:“The transport minister wouldn’t commit to creating a direct line between Perth and Edinburgh, but we will continue to press the Scottish Government on this matter.
“Everyone knows that the journey time on the Perth to Edinburgh railway line is much the same as it was 100 years ago, with the obvious negative effects this has for passengers and, just as importantly, for journey times to Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
“We believe that reopening a direct rail link would provide additional capacity, would reduce journey times between Perth and Edinburgh by around 35 minutes and would also reduce travel times to and from Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.”
Councillor Purves added:“A direct rail link with a park-and-ride station at Kinross would be a real boon for Kinross-shire residents. It would help them do their bit for the environment by using their cars less when commuting or going shopping.
“In Kinross-shire, we have seen hundreds of new houses built in the past few years with more to come. It is now time for the Scottish Government to act and deliver the necessary infrastructure for Kinross-shire and reinstating this direct rail link is a way to do just that.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:“We have made record levels of investment in the rail network and delivered upgrades to the rail network linking Edinburgh and Perth, including electrification from Edinburgh to Dunblane, the new Blackford freight terminal and the new high quality inter-7-city service.
“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the railway meets future growth needs for passengers and freight, and our work to implement the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan recognises the enormous role that rail has in meeting our climate change objectives.
“The plan includes consideration of further electrification options for the routes to Perth which will deliver faster, greener trains, increase capacity and improve journey times between Edinburgh and Perth.”