Frustation is growing that commuters are waiting for work to start on a new railway station car park more than two years after it was promised.
Leuchars Railway Station car park is bursting at the seams and hundreds of fines have been issued to travellers for parking illegally in their rush to catch their train.
Tay Bridgehead councillor Tim Brett blamed ScottishPower for the latest delay, as Fife Council waits for a high voltage cable which crosses the site to be shifted, but the utility firm denied the hold-up was at its end.
Even after the cable is moved, a contractor will have to be appointed and it will be a further six months before the new car park is ready.
The £600,000 scheme, funded by the council and Network Rail, will create 336 new parking spaces at the station which is busy with commuters from Dundee, St Andrews and elsewhere.
Mr Brett said passengers faced a daily lottery as to whether they would find a parking space.
He said: “This is very frustrating given that it is now over two years since funding for this scheme was awarded by Fife Council.
“The council paid ScottishPower about £20,000 for the cable to be moved in December last year but now, nearly six months on, is still waiting for this work to be undertaken.
“It is really not acceptable that ScottishPower can hold up this development in this way and I very much hope that an early resolution to this can be found so that the much needed expanded station car park can be provided in the near future.”
Derek Crowe, the council’s senior manager for engineering and waste services, said the project had not been straight forward and it took longer than hoped to secure the purchase of the land.
As well as the cable, other ScottishPower apparatus needs to be diverted out of and around the site.
Mr Crowe said: “We instructed ScottishPower to carry out these essential works, at our expense, at the beginning of this year.”
A draft deed of servitude required by the utility company to access the site was provided to its solicitors in April, he claimed, but remains outstanding despite three reminders.
Mr Crowe said: “When this is completed and we have a firm date from ScottishPower, we will be able to update the project programme with confidence.”
Cllr Pat Callaghan, the council’s spokesperson for environment and transportation, said the car park was a priority for the council but all legal aspects had to be complete.
He said: “I’ve visited the site three times and will continue to make every effort to ensure that progress is being made.”
A spokesman for SP Energy Networks, part of ScottishPower, said: “This work has not been held up by ScottishPower.
“We are currently awaiting instruction from the council to allow us to plan this job by granting a wayleave for the new cable position, and we will be able to carry out the job quickly after this has happened.
“We have made further contact with the council and we are happy to plan this job when we have the required information.”