The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rail: Scottish Government urged to reinstate link with Edinburgh.
Transport Scotland has opened a consultation process which MSP Liz Smith believes is ‘a real opportunity’
The Scottish Government is being urged to reinstate the direct rail link between Perth and Edinburgh amid claims the present journey takes as long as it did 100 years ago.
Following sustained pressure from campaign group Transform Scotland and MSP Liz Smith, Transport Scotland has said they will consider any proposal with a “robust business case”.
If the proposal was to come to fruition it would require a four-mile tunnel to avoid the M90.
Nevertheless, Ms Smith has asked for a feasibility study to look into the project which could shave 35 minutes from the current journey and would include re-opening a station at either Glenfarg or Kinross.
Transform Scotland claim the link is needed to keep the railway competitive.
Ms Smith said the issue has been raised by scores of businesses in Perth and Kinross and Fife.
She added: “It takes around the same time to travel between the two cities as it did 100 years ago in the Victorian era.
“A comparable journey in other countries takes between 35 to 50 minutes.
“We’ve suggested looking at re-opening Glenfarg or Kinross rail stations and we need quicker and better trains.”
Transport Scotland has begun a consultation on the way it funds services.
Ms Smith said: “This consultation represents a real opportunity for people across the region to let the Scottish Government know exactly what they want from their transport services.
“Back in 2013, when I started my campaign ... I received an impassioned response from local people in South Perthshire and Kinross who were keen to see the return of a direct rail link.”
She added that the actual route of the old link has not been formally identified yet. The previous route, which closed in the 1970s, took in Dunfermline and Kinross.
A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: “Although a new rail link between Perth and Edinburgh does not feature in the Scottish Government’s current £5 billion investment programme to 2019, we are committed to ongoing improvements to rail services and connectivity.
“Projects will be considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability and other competing proposals.”
It takes around the same time to travel between the two cities as it did 100 years ago in the Victorian era. LIZ SMITH MSP
Re-opening the old direct rail line between Perth and Edinburgh would be a great thing in my humble opinion.
As a regular commuter between the two cities it baffles me why it takes around at least one hour and 20 minutes to travel by train when you can drive the equivalent trip by car in just over an hour.
When commuting to work in Perth from Edinburgh, I leave the Waverley rail station at just after 7.30am but don’t arrive in the Fair City until around 8.50am. And this is replicated travelling home, leaving Perth at 5pm and arriving in Auld Reekie at around 6.25pm.
Any move that cuts at least 35 minutes off travelling time has to be welcomed and by all accounts, many business leaders in Perth and Kinross and Fife are highly supportive of the move to reinstate the old link.
I have travelled by train in Italy and there is no comparison with Scotland. Faster, cleaner trains make the whole experience far more comfortable and enjoyable.
In an age where billions of pounds are being spent on building a new road bridge across the Firth of Forth – primarily because the existing one is on its last legs – surely it is time to invest in and modernise our rail infrastructure.
And this should definitely include re-opening the old rail line between Perth and Edinburgh.
Any move that cuts at least 35 minutes off travelling time has to be welcomed