MSP’strainjourneytime claimisamyth
Quoted in the story “Renewed calls for direct rail link with Edinburgh” on Tuesday, February 9, Liz Smith MSP asserts:“Everyone knows that the journey time on the Perth to Edinburgh railway line is much the same as it was 100 years ago...”
This simply is not the case.
The present COVID pandemic restricted service of 14 direct trains daily between Perth and Edinburgh via Ladybank has an average journey time of 86 minutes and the 12 direct trains in the opposite direction have an average journey time of 79 minutes.
In 1922, 99 years ago, there were nine direct trains daily between Perth and Edinburgh via Kinross with an average journey time of 101 minutes, quarter of an hour slower, and the 10 direct trains in the opposite direction also had an average journey time of 101 minutes, 22 minutes slower than today.
In 1967, just before the direct line via Kinross closed, there were nine direct trains from Perth to Edinburgh with an average journey time of 82 minutes and the 10 direct trains in the opposite direction had an average journey time of 78 minutes.
There is a good case to be made, which I support, for re-opening the railway from Cowdenbeath to Kinross to provide a commuter service to Edinburgh.
However, a new direct route from Inverkeithing to Perth only makes sense to me in the context of a high speed route from the Central Belt through Perth and via Strathmore to Aberdeen, and whether such a route would have a station at Kinross is open to question.
There is no case for seeking to reinstate the old route through Glenfarg where much of the trackbed is now occupied by the M90.
Indeed, the old route through Glenfarg, which was not proposed for closure by Dr Beeching, was closed by the Ministry of Transport in London in order to reduce the cost of building the M90.
Councillor Andrew Parrott Perth City Centre ward bloc these days, as planning objections are overturned and these types of, “nanny knows best” events show up more often.
Mr P Reeve
Coventry Way
Milnathort