New Bid to Re-Open South City Line

By Andrew Picken Transport Reporter

A NEW campaign has been launched to win public support for the return of the passenger railway line for south Edinburgh.

The Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG) today lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament calling for the re-introduction of services on the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway.

The scheme is likely to cost around GBP 18 million and E-Rail – a private company formed to fight for the re-opening of the “South Sub” – has already secured around half of the cash from land owners along the route.

Now campaigners will spend the summer persuading the public and politicians to put pressure on the Scottish Executive to support the move, which would see train services in some of the city’s suburbs for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The South Sub project has won cross-party political support and Portobello councillor Lawrence Marshall, spokesperson for CRAG, said he wanted to build up momentum behind the scheme.

He said: “The line’s closure to passengers 45 years ago has meant that people living and working in the south side of the city have had to rely on buses for local public transport. The re-opening of the South Sub would transform cross-city travel, providing a rail link to Waverley and the planned interchange at Haymarket – at very little cost.”

This week outgoing Labour MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Susan Deacon wrote to Transport Minister Tavish Scott to ask why the Executive had not thrown its support behind the project. But the minister had already told an all-party group of city councillors in January that he wanted see a new business case for the South Sub before any commitment was made. The business case is likely to be completed over the summer and will be presented to the council before going to the Scottish Executive.

The e-petition on the Scottish Parliament’s website goes live today and will remain open until September 8 – exactly 45 years after the railway closed.

A website – www.reopenthesouthsub.org.uk – has also been established where people can pledge support for the scheme.

(c) 2007 Evening News; Edinburgh (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.