REGENERATING RAILWAYS IN THE KINGDOM OF FIFE
The Central Lowlands are the most heavily populated region of Scotland, but in some communities beyond the urban sprawl of Edinburgh in the east and Glasgow in the west, there is a sense of disconnection, especially when it comes to rail services – or rather the lack of them.
From the town of Leven, on the north side of the Firth of Forth, the well-known Edinburgh landmark of Arthur’s Seat looks almost within touching distance. A journey by car though will take just over an hour. Without that option it can be considerably longer. Allen Armstrong, secretary of the Levenmouth Rail Campaign (LMRC), says that presents particular problems: “By public transport, realistically you’ve got a two-hour commuting journey and yet we are within the Edinburgh City Region where the growth, the public funding and the private investment is booming, and we cannot really connect with that.
“Levenmouth is falling behind economically so that the opportunities for work, study, training and leisure are greatly reduced by the relative isolation,” he adds, pointing to a rail link as the solution.
“There’s no other measure that can offer a regeneration of this area and get Leven contributing to the regional and
