Full steam ahead (but not in the capital)

HERE'S the challenge for a contemporary transport project to bring a former mode of transport back to life after 54 years: lay an extra 1.5-mile length of track, traverse a viaduct, meet improved standards for the conveying of passengers, extend a boarding platform, meet safety and regulatory standards and complete on time.

Familiar? Of course it is. So congratulations to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society for opening Scotland's newest railway line tomorrow. A treasured steam locomotive, the Morayshire, will puff its way over the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway's extension from Birkhill to Manuel, near Polmont. The project took five years and the cost, held down by teams of volunteer navvies, came to 125,000.

Such a tale of endeavour cannot but lift Edinburgh residents. Scotland's capital city is gridlocked by another project of restoration – the infamous Edinburgh trams – posing daunting problems. But at least the tramworks are within easy distance for supplies. The same cannot be said for this work of loving restoration. Now that it is up and running, the project hopes to attract more visitors.

Edinburgh council should call the preservation society immediately with four simple words: "You've got the job!" Or it could convert the tramlines to carry restored locomotives. An end to this chaos would then finally be in sight.