Rail strategy needed

People talk about putting rail at the heart of the country’s econ-omic growth, but the message coming from those with power to influence matters is hardly encouraging.

The news of a cut in the number of GNER trains stopping at Dunbar merely emphasises the expectation that commuters should travel by road.

As for rail links to and from airports, this service is provided only at Prestwick. The other four major Scottish airports are within three miles of mainline railways, but there is no link.

Scotland is not an easy country in which to provide a top-class railway network, and long-term sustainable improvements will not come cheaply.

But, surprisingly, Chris Har-vie, in his recent Platform article, fudges this issue by suggesting that a bullet train between Glasgow and Edinburgh could use some of the existing network, whereas all the evidence is that high-speed trains of this type need a dedicated track.

A national strategy is needed, and sooner rather than later.

STAN ELDER

Avon Road

Edinburgh