Rail experts have recommended reopening the St Andrews branch line.
In their latest work, Broken Links in Britain’s Rail Policy, railway experts Chris Austin and Richard Faulkner considered the social and economic impact of the rail closures of the 1960s and noted how in the light of subsequent passenger demand and line reopenings the original decisions now appear seriously flawed.
They have recommended the reopening of only five closed lines in Scotland, one of which is St Andrews.
A spokeswoman for the St Andrews Rail Link (StARLink) campaign said group members hope the move will add more fuel to their arguments for reinstatement of passenger services to and from the town for the first time since 1969.
“This recommendation is a powerful endorsement, coming as it does from the head of infrastructure and networks at Railfuture, the former director of public policy at the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and the former public affairs director at the British Railways Board,” she added.
“It is interesting to note that Messrs Austin and Faulkner recommend that a reopened St Andrews line should have a ‘new junction for (a) direct route to Edinburgh’ exactly what the StARLink-commissioned Tata Steel report has advised.”
Estimates suggested it could cost at least £76 million to reinstate the link, although Transport Scotland says the project does not feature in its current investment programme.
However, it is willing to consider plans where there is “clear evidence of benefits”.