StARLink campaigners have hit another snag in their bid for a railway link to St Andrews.
The campaigners have been fighting for a rail link to St Andrews since 1989.
The latest delay in their decades-long battle is down to Transport Scotland being picky, says StARLink (St Andrews Rail Link Campaign) convenor, Jane Ann Liston.
The hold-up is down to some missing details in their application paperwork.
But Jane Ann, who is also a local Lib Dem councillor, has accused Transport Scotland of having a “can’t do mentality”.
“Has Transport Scotland got a secret agenda?” Jane Ann asked, “[that] they don’t want to spend any money at all and therefore they want to bat the responsibility over to local authorities.”
StARLink have more work to do
Last month, the delayed payment of a bill slowed the campaign’s progress.
Now Transport Scotland are behind the delay again, said Jane Ann.
StARLink have been advised that they need to add more details to their Stag (Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance) appraisal.
This is where they set out why decision makers should invest in a St Andrews rail link.
Jane said transport bosses have been “humming and hawing over transport planning objectives” – the key aims of the appraisal.
“It hasn’t helped that Transport Scotland has changed things they want in respect to transport planning objectives.
“One could say, if Transport Scotland had not taken such a heck of a long time, then this might not have been a problem.”
Will there be a St Andrews rail link?
Once this addition has been completed, they can begin the final stage of the Stag.
“It’s taking too long,” Jane Ann said.
“You start seriously thinking, will I see this? Apart from on a cloud.
“I never ever thought it would take this long.”
The StARLink campaign have been given a set of topics they need to cover in an additional document.
This has to be provided before they can move ahead to the final stage of the Stag – the detailed appraisal.
Jane Ann emphasised that they are not rewriting the report.
But time is running out for the campaign’s funding.
The StARLink campaign secured funding through the Local Rail Development Fund back in 2018.
March next year is the deadline for its completion.
“We want to get on with it,” Jane Ann said, “because the whole thing (Stag appraisal) has got to be finished by the end of March.
“Whether we will have the detailed options appraisal under way by the end of the year, I don’t know.
“But I certainly expect to have the initial options appraisal done and dusted by then.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Transport Scotland officials recently provided advice to StARLink to assist the group in the development of their transport appraisal.
“Advice is given to help organisations make a case for investment and set out the evidence in a consistent and robust way for decision makers and this advice had not changed.”
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