Leven would love disruption

Sir, - Further unwelcome disruption to rail services in Central Scotland seems to be justified in terms of short-term pain for long-term gain.

The scotrail Alliance spokeswoman claimed these engineering works will “lead to a more reliable, better rail network that will rank amongst the very best”. We beg to differ. Sympathetic as Levenmouth and East Neuk residents are to the sufferings of other public transport users, this week marks the 47th anniversary of the closure of passenger services to Leven and we’d love to be in the privileged position of facing a temporary disruption.

The continuing lack of rail links to an urban area – a catchment of 45,000 plus people – continues to blight an entire community for no obvious reason, since tracked owned by Network Rail is in place, existing Fife Circle services can be extended and necessary studies completed.

This perspective highlights the blinkered approach of a national rail policy that seems to focus on the existing network to the exclusion of connecting regions and places that any logic and reason dictate should be served by rail to achieve necessary national as well as local connectivity.

Initiatives such as the Levenmouth Rail Campaign thus face an extended and arcane procedure probably not dissimilar to that experienced by Victorian rail pioneers, of having to argue individual cases and jump through many complex and expensive hoops to achieve consideration.

The “revolution in rail” regularly claimed for Scotland thus continues to be deeply discriminatory, favouring those places already connected and urgently needs to be superseded by a comprehensive and rational rail strategy. Dr Allen Armstrong. 28 Viewforth, Buckhaven.