Getting on track

The excellent article by David Spaven (Friends of The Scotsman, 23 July) making the strong case for reopening the mothballed Thornton-Leven branch line ­raises the question of why this has not already happened.

Is it because expensive transport projects with higher prestige value (the second road bridge, Edinburgh’s trams and even the Borders Railway) have taken precedence over a mundane branch line reopening, however effective the modest £55 million investment required would prove by comparison?

The passenger case is actually much stronger than the article presents – according to the latest KnowFife data, the Levenmouth area has a population of 37,824 and the adjoining Largo and East Neuk a population of 14,013.

In other words, more than 14 per cent of Fife’s total population (Scotland’s third largest local authority area) have no rail connection.

The Mid Fife Local Plan envisages the building of a further 1,650 homes in the near future to add to those numbers. What are we still waiting for?

Marion Garry

Viewforth

Buckhaven