The funding documents for investment in the next five years are a deep disappointment for rail freight and passenger ambitions in the north-east of Scotland. That’s the view of Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Douglas Lumsden, who represents the North East Scotland region and sits on the opposition benches, with the Conservative Party. The government in Edinburgh has overlooked any mention of answering the lobby for new railways north of Aberdeen, reconnecting the fishing ports of Peterhead and Fraserburgh with the rail network.

The north-east of Scotland can expect no railway development of the scale experienced in the Scottish Borders, nor the game changing economic advantages expected in the north-east of Fife or north-east England. There is no provision for building new railways into the north-east of Scotland. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), the top level planning document from the Scottish Government, omits the ambitions of campaigners in the region, and dashes hopes for an expanded rail network in the region.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Politics Matters