MSP Claire Baker has written to the Transport Minister to call for clarity on the Levenmouth Rail Link.
Following a Scottish Parliamentary debate the Labour MSP said it was widely believed that the process was moving towards stage four of the governance for railway investment project.
However, she said remarks from Humza Yousaf indicated that the project may be stalled at the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) stage, with Guide to Railway Investments Projects (GRIP) stage three also still to be completed.
This has led to the Mid Scotland and Fife MSP to write to the Minister to ask what action has been taken, what work is due to be carried out and what timescales have been attached.
“As we head into 2018 the argument for the reintroduction of the Levenmouth Rail Link is as strong now as it ever has been.
“I have been campaigning on the issue since I was first elected but I cannot remember such a time of confusion over where the project is at and where it is heading.
“With the Transport Minister contradicting himself and conflating stage three and four of the GRIP process it seems that we are no further forward than where we were at the start of 2017.
“There is a strong, cross party, consensus for taking this project forward. Fife Council is also behind these plans.
“Yet we are all left at the station waiting for the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland to get on board.”
She said concrete action and clarity was needed.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Transport investment decisions have to be supported by robust evidence.
“That is why the minister advised members at the Levenmouth debate in Parliament on September 27 that, subject to the agreement of Fife Council, he would instruct officials at Transport Scotland to take on responsibility for ensuring the robustness of the Levenmouth sustainable transport study.
“Fife Council have accepted this offer and Transport Scotland is progressing the transport appraisal work for the Levenmouth sustainable transport study in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance and in close collaboration with the council.
“The transport appraisal work will determine if there is a rationale for progressing the Levenmouth rail link, which will be one of the options considered in the Levenmouth sustainable transport study.
“Any new projects will of course be subject to available funding and the most recent offer for the next control period continues to fall short of the total identified by the industry to cover a full programme of progressive investment to improve Scotland’s rail network.”
