Proposals for a cross-Forth hovercraft service between Fife and Edinburgh have been revived.
A new company, Forthfast, has emerged as a potential operator for the route, seven years after a highly successful trial took place between Kirkcaldy and Portobello.
News of the company became known after it requested more time to complete a planning application at the former Stagecoach bus depot in Kirkcaldy, from where the 2007 trial had been conducted.
Although 32,000 passengers used the route throughout the two-week period, proposals to carry on permanently were sunk when Edinburgh City Council refused planning permission for a terminal on the south side of the Forth.
Despite this setback, enthusiasm for a water crossing has continued, with a belief that any new plans may now be welcomed in Edinburgh.
While there are no immediate plans to start any service, the request to extend the planning application would suggest there remains a belief such a business could be viable.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zzqE1o4Rlng%3Frel%3D0
Both Forthfast and Fife Council have stressed there are no immediate plans to implement a new hovercraft service from Fife to the capital but Edinburgh City Council transport convener Lesley Hinds has told The Courier “conceptual discussions” have already taken place.
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