On wrong track

I read again with interest that the Inter-City Express campaign, part of Transform Scotland, wants to make a “safe, civilised and sustainable” mode of transport in Scotland (your report, 3 March).

I would suggest we have that now. The campaign group wants to re-open the direct rail link from Perth to Edinburgh via the old Glenfarg, Cowdenbeath route which was closed in 1970 by British Rail, not Dr Beeching.

This would be extremely difficult to re-open as the line is now part of the M90.

This was a political decision which allowed British Rail (SR) to save £132,000 per annum and save the Scottish Development Agency £500,000 in the building of the M90, as it could use the track bed up and through Glenfarg and in other areas en route to Edinburgh. As for the upgrade of the Highland line and Inverness to Aberdeen line, as some of the route is single track it would be very expensive to double track and would take a vast amount of investment which I feel is currently not achievable and would not make business sense. Electrification is also not currently realistic.

We are better using money to electrify all of Scotland’s main rail routes and this would require new electric trains.

More electrification and major station upgrades are happening, at Dundee Station and Glasgow Queen Street. Scotland’s railways are improving without some unrealistic ideas.

Edward Carr

Senior railway manager, retired

Edinburgh Road

Perth