Transport Secretary accused of 'washing his hands' of manifesto pledge on Edinburgh's Powderhall rail line
Stephen Flynn says land deal must be concluded before funding considered
Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn has been accused of washing his hands of an SNP manifesto pledge to support the conversion of part of an old Edinburgh railway line into a new green corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.
Edinburgh council has been in talks for several years with Network Rail about taking over the redundant Powderhall line between Powderhall and Meadowbank, but no agreement has been reached.
However, the SNP in its national manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections earlier this year said: "We will support efforts to bring the former Powderhall railway line into use as a new walking and cycling route in the Capital."
In June, the council agreed that transport convener Stephen Jenkinson should write to the new Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn, asking what form the offer of support would take, whether it would engage with the council and Network Rail in the ongoing negotiations about the transfer of the line to the council, and whether funding would be made available by the Scottish Government for the next steps to realise the project.
Now Mr Flynn has replied, saying the government recognises the potential benefits of the project, noting that responsibility for active travel infrastructure sits with the council, and saying the discussions with Network Rail would have to be finalised before any future request for funding could be considered.
He also noted that the council had submitted 41 applications to the Active Travel infrastructure fund for 2026-27, including for St Mark's Path, as phase one of the Powderhall Active Travel Improvements project.
He said: "While I acknowledge that St Mark’s Path is distinct from the former railway line proposal, it is located in close geographical proximity to one end of the former Powderhall Railway Line and will form part of a broader programme of improvements aimed at enabling more people to walk, wheel and cycle for their everyday journeys.
"This demonstrates the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to supporting active and sustainable travel."
Edinburgh Greens' transport spokesperson Chas Booth was not impressed with the minister's response.
He said: "Despite having made a firm manifesto commitment to support bringing the Powderhall back into use as a walking and cycling route, the SNP Cabinet Secretary now appears to be washing his hands of the whole scheme. It's clear that the SNP manifesto wasn't worth the paper it was written on.
"Far from supporting efforts to bring the line back into use, the SNP now seem to be obstructing it through completely failing to get a grip of the single-year funding that is stymying active travel delivery across the country. Yet again the SNP fail to convert words into action when it comes to walking, wheeling and cycling."
Chris Hill of the Powderhall.Link campaign said the government’s response was “very disappointing, but not surprising”.
He said: “Civil servants will have written a response based on the rules as they are. Rules have not been changed as a result of the mention in the SNP manifesto.
“The letter to the council is quite clear - ‘To secure construction funding, projects must meet a range of requirements, including assessment and funding eligibility criteria, as well as demonstrating deliverability and readiness for construction’.
“Unfortunately the council is unable to meet those requirements as it has not prepared the details. It seems that working out what is required won’t start until the former railway line is handed over by Network Rail.
“The Powderhall.Link campaign is clear that the council needs to stop thinking in terms of an ‘active travel route’ and work on the potential of creating a great public green space and linear park with a path through it.
“Apart from producing a better and more popular outcome, it would make it easier to get funding from a variety of sources."