BETTER transport links between Edinburgh and Glasgow are to be established before the 2014 Commonwealth Games to make the most of Scotland's cash bonanza.
The Games are expected to bring an £81 million boost to Scotland's economy, with about £55m to be spent outside Glasgow.
City leaders believe Edinburgh is well-placed to be the biggest beneficiary of that £55m pot, especially with the Game's sec
ond week expected to coincide with the summer festivals' first week. A team of Edinburgh City Council officials are now working to ensure road and rail links between the cities are improved. They want to see more services on the Glasgow Central-Edinburgh Waverley line, providing a direct link to the east end of Glasgow, where most events will take place.
Trunk road operators and motorway maintenance firms have also been contacted to ensure no major roadworks are planned during the Games.
Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development convener, said 2014 was a chance to "piggyback" on Glasgow's success. He added that Edinburgh could even come out ahead of its west coast rival, as the Capital has virtually no infrastructure costs.
"It is a very exciting time for Glasgow, but Edinburgh could be the biggest recipient of gain," said Cllr Buchanan. "A lot of people will want to visit the Commonwealth Games and Scotland but Glasgow is a finite place. There are only so many visitors its hotels can deal with. Our hotels already do very well in terms of room occupancy, but this is an opportunity for us to do even better."
He added that if the Glasgow-Edinburgh collaboration – which had its funding cut in last week's budget – was to work, the Games was "exactly the kind of area it should be thinking about".
Cllr Buchanan added that he is to ask the body, which receives funding from both city councils, to carry out a study to quantify the exact benefits for both cities.
Transport Scotland said that the Airdrie to Bathgate rail line is due to be completed before 2014, providing an extra four trains an hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow to help cope with extra demand.
It also said that First ScotRail is obliged to provide additional services to and from major events.
A First ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We will continue to work closely with our industry partners to look at where further enhancements can be made to the timetable, ensuring our customers have a train service which meets their requirements."
A Scottish Government spokes-man said Edinburgh would "doubtless be at the top of many tourist itineraries, with the Games taking place at the same time as the Edinburgh festivals".
Road bridge plan slammed as council champions tunnel visionWEST Lothian Council is to write to the Scottish Government to express its "extreme disappointment" at the decision not to build a tunnel under the Forth.
Ministers instead decided on a second road bridge, which opponents say will be susceptible to closures due to high winds, and corrosion.
At a meeting of the SNP-led council, members voted 15-13 in favour of a Labour motion criticising the Government on the decision.
Labour councillor Jim Swan, who tabled the motion, said: "In light of the recent failure of a cable on the new arc bridge across the Clyde in Glasgow, and reports of cable corrosion in suspension bridges around the world, the crossing proposed by the Scottish Government will be difficult to maintain and costly to construct."
Labour group leader Graeme Morrice said the new bridge would trigger traffic jams in the county. He said: "I have grave concerns about the effect a new road bridge being built almost on the West Lothian boundary with Edinburgh will have on our communities.
"It is unacceptable that the SNP has gone for the cheap option by building a new road bridge. They should have gone for the best option of an immersed tube tunnel."
