Letter: A bridge too far

The media reported last week that contractors had achieved a historical breakthrough from Italy to Switzerland in the latest phase of building the Gotthard Base Tunnel beneath the Alps.

With a length of 57 kilometres (35.4 miles) and a total of 151.84km (94.3m) of tunnels, shafts and passages, it is the world's longest rail tunnel and will take 17 years to complete - scheduled to open in 2017.

I suspect our MSPs will be aghast to read that the project cost stands at 6 billion. They will no doubt recall that Mr Swinney informed them in parliament, on 19 December, 2007, that a tunnel across the Forth - a mere one mile river crossing, somewhat smaller than the Swiss 35.4 miles - would be 6.6bn.

It may hopefully prompt them to question the equally preposterous cost of their proposed Forth replacement crossing which currently stands at 2.3bn; up from their original estimate of 500 million and that the tunnel and bridge costings are indeed related and both vastly overpriced.

Robert Hamilton

Halbeath Road

Dunfermline, Fife