Reopening the Levenmouth rail link could help slash billions from the Treasury’s spending on welfare, it has been claimed.
A report by a UK-wide lobbying group has said investment in rail connections across industrial Britain is key to rebuilding the economy in those areas.
The Industrial Communities Alliance (ICA), a cross-party group which campaigns for the regeneration of former industrial areas such as Levenmouth, highlighted the project to reopen the defunct Leven to Thornton line as one of a shopping list of schemes which would help revive the fortunes of some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas.
The findings have been welcomed by Fife councillor and ICA chairman Bob Young, who said the organisation was fully behind the campaign to bring the five-mile stretch of track back into use for passengers and freight.
“We got it on the ICA agenda and had a full debate,” he said.
“It was agreed the ICA would support the fight to get a rail link to Levenmouth.”
Fellow ICA member Tom Adams, who chairs Fife Council’s Levenmouth area committee, said he was delighted to have the organisation’s backing.
“Levenmouth is a former coalfield area and the ICA is looking to bring more prosperity to it,” he said.
“One way of doing that is getting the rail link reinstated and that’s why the ICA supports it 100%.”