Letter: Snow anomalies

We all know travelling conditions are very poor at the moment (your report, 2 December), but this is when the railways are supposed to come into their own, beating the snow where other modes of travel cannot.

It is therefore very disappointing that ScotRail, while managing to run trains from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, and right up to Wick and Thurso, cannot manage to maintain a service to Bathgate or Shotts, and instead has cancelled all services this week. The only explanation is "adverse weather conditions", and yet these routes are double-track lines with modern signalling, on which at least a basic service ought to be possible.

West Lothian is not exactly avalanche territory, even in this weather. It hardly bodes well for the launch of the new Edinburgh- Bathgate-Glasgow service on 12 December that Bathgate is currently a no-go area for ScotRail. A postponement of the new service now seems inevitable.

Robert Drysdale

Primrose Bank Road

Edinburgh

At this time of heavy snowfall and icy conditions we must all pull together and understand that the efforts of our gladiatorial snow plough and gritting lorry drivers must be concentrated on the most vulnerable in society.

I have just been informed by a council employee that all resources are being concentrated on category 1 routes, ie roads to hospitals, bus and emergency routes, etc and, in his words, "basically all the main roads".

Quite right too, I thought, but can anyone enlighten me as to why parts of Edinburgh's New Town, eg Moray Place, are regularly cleared and gritted while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves?

Is this a cunning ploy on the part of the council to open up such streets as major thoroughfares to avoid the tram chaos, or is it another example of incompetence on the part of the council managers?

I wonder.

Colin Young

Orchard Brae Avenue

Edinburgh

I AM intrigued to know why in the towns and villages of Midlothian the only places closed for the whole week are the schools, libraries and leisure centres. East Lothian has closed the schools but at least is managing limited opening libraries and leisure centres.

Imagine if this winter turns into a repeat of 1946? How would we manage in Midlothian without libraries and leisure centres for four months? What would school and college students do during this time?

Victor Gilbert

Crichton Avenue

Pathhead, Midlothian