By Steve Bargeton, political editor, and Leeza Clark

MSPs WERE urged yesterday to scrap £600 million plans for a rail link to Edinburgh airport and use the cash to build a new bridge across the Forth.

During a heated debate in Parliament Mid Scotland and Fife SNP MSP Bruce Crawford said that some Fife companies were already thinking about relocating to the south side of the Forth before the road bridge is closed to heavy goods vehicles because of cable corrosion.

“It was made absolutely clear by the bridgemaster in 2013, regardless of what happens now, that the bridge will close to HGV vehicles,” said Mr Crawford.

“If that was to happen it would be a catastrophe for the Fife economy. Businesses are already taking the decision not to locate in Fife, to relocate elsewhere.

“The business people I spoke to yesterday, if you gave them a priority of where the money should be spent they would say…it should go to a new Forth bridge before it is committed to a project that has shown itself not to be value for money. That’s the choice Fifers would make.”

But Dunfermline East Labour MSP Helen Eadie, a staunch supporter of another Forth crossing, accused Mr Crawford of “misrepresenting” the view of Fife businesses.

She said a rail link to Edinburgh Airport was a project “Fifers dreamed of” and urged MSPs to support it.

However, Mrs Eadie echoed Mr Crawford’s stance on a new Forth bridge in a hard-hitting letter to Transport Minister Tavish Scott.

Mrs Eadie, who has campaigned on behalf of Fife’s business and residential communities for a new Forth crossing since her election, has written to Mr Scott, Jack McConnell, and Forth bridge manager Alastair Andrew voicing her “serious disappointment” that, despite Mr Scott’s public promise last spring that preparatory work would start without delay, initial consultants have only recently been appointed.

In addition to this long delay, Mrs Eadie is also challenging the fact that Mr Scott has not even commissioned a strategic environmental impact assessment or a business plan to establish whether the new crossing should provide for a tram, a light railway or dedicated bus lanes.

Mrs Eadie said the need to move forward with new bridge plans had been exacerbated by her concerns over the corrosion on the 42-year-old bridge.

“At a Fife Chamber of Commerce meeting that concern was received by the business community with alarm,” she said.

In her letter the MSP told Mr Scott, “It seems that you have done little in the intervening summer months to move this crucially important issue along and to say that I am angry is a gross understatement of the anger that is coming from the business community across Scotland over the way that you are seriously jeopardising this national and trans-European lifeline.”

MSPs later voted by 69 votes to 30, with 20 abstentions, in favour of the principles of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) Bill and to allow it to proceed as a private Bill.

The vote means that Parliament is now committed to an ambitious project, which is estimated to cost between £550 and £650 million on completion, and will mean tunnelling under a runway while it remains in use.

Tavish Scott told Parliament, “This government will invest in EARL, which will not only connect Scotland’s capital to Scotland’s capital airport but also provide a direct link to 62 stations across Scotland reaching 64% of the population.

“EARL is the only rail option for linking the airport which represents value for money, promotes economic growth and social inclusion whilst creating sustainable transport alternatives.”

Mr Scott also told MSPs that the benefits of the scheme were estimated at £1.35 billion over 60 years and that Transport Scotland must ensure that the project is on time and on budget.

But SNP transport spokesman Fergus Ewing warned that the project could become a “Holyrood project mark II,” and vowed to scrap it if the nationalists won power in May.

“Projected costs have already risen by over 20% from £500 million to £610 million, and in our view that is money that can be better spent on alternative projects,” he said.

But Mr Scott angrily responded, “This will not be another Holyrood. I despise the SNP’s scaremongering to that effect.”

A compromise by the Scottish Tories involving rail and bus links to the airport but at a fraction of the cost of the tunnel project was heavily defeated.

And the Scottish Greens questioned the need for trams and trains to run to the airport.

“Clearly we don’t need both a new tram and a new rail link,” said Green MSP Mark Ballard.

“Rather than spending half a billion pounds on tunnelling under the airport, the money should be invested in upgrading Waverley station, providing a faster train service to London and ensuring the trams are fully funded.”

The EARL Bill now goes forward to detailed scrutiny.