Doubts cast on rail study

30, 08 00 21:28
Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston explained how the report:
  1. said that the proposed alignment would impinge upon the golf-courses when in fact they were on the other side of the road
  2. stated that the Gateway visitor centre made the reinstatement more difficult, when it was built far enough back to leave room for the track and
  3. wondered whether Historic Scotland clearance would be required about listed parts of the old station, when it was demolished in the early 1970s and tarmacadamed over for a car-park in the mid 1980s.
All these, she said, displayed a lack of familiarity with the site, casting doubts upon the whole study. What was worst of all though was the so-called investigation into a St Andrews rail-link consisting solely of a one-day questioning of passengers already using Leuchars, and then saying that although a St Andrews railway would generate ‘useful revenue,’ this would mostly be diverted from Leuchars. It was obvious that, having investigated the matter in that way, no other conclusion was possible.
Ms Liston was most disappointed that the ‘highly-paid’ consultants had made no effort whatsoever to identify potential passengers not currently using the railway, for example commuters between St Andrews and Cupar, Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh, nor even visitors generated by new amenities such as the Kingask golf, leisure and conference centre. ‘Do they really think,’ she said, ‘that the prospect of a direct rail service from the capital of Scotland to the home of golf would not fire the imagination of visitors?’
Ms Liston wrote to Scott Wilson with these and other questions in March and again in May but has so far received no reply, despite an assurance in The Scotsman from Scott Wilson that her queries would be answered.
Footnote – on 15th August Ms Liston received a letter from Scott Wilson saying that they would answer their client Fife Council’s questions. There was no mention of a direct reply to her.