Dear Editor, Rail Futures Scotland are to be congratulated for including Cambus in their proposals for new station development across Scotland (Advertiser 26 November). However, the situation has changed since the 2008 feasibility study.

Firstly, there is a firm proposal to electrify the Alloa route (albeit not until 2018/2019) and to increase the service to half hourly from hourly. As part of the consultations in 2011/2012, I pointed out to Network Rail the problems of reliable time tabling for a more frequent service and suggested the current single track from the Cambus loop to Alloa Station should be upgraded to double track and extended to the loop east of Alloa (near the fire station).

Proposals for a station making use of the Cambus loop is potentially quite expensive, not least because of what would be needed - an access road off the A907, a car park, two platforms, complete with footbridge and a pair of lifts (in order to comply with legislation for disabled access).

This probably adds up to somewhere in the area of £12-15 million and is likely to struggle with financial justification.

Such a location would not attract many people from Cambus and Tullibody walking to the station. The alternative site for a station is where the old Cambus station used to be. There is sufficient space between the rail track and the boundary fences for a platform to be built.

Diageo have recently built a temporary car park, next to the A907 which will be surplus to requirements once their development work is complete. There may be needs for repositioning of a signal, plus other minor works, but even so, the cost of a single platform, within the village would be considerably less, possibly in the range £3-5 million, which would be a much more favourable financial position. The safety case for the level crossing operation would also need to be reviewed, since trains would be stopping immediately to the west.

Keith Brown has recently announced that the Aberdeen western bypass road is now likely to open 12 months early. What hope is there of similar progress with our rail services?

Yours faithfully, D Hodgson (former rail industry manager), Cambus.

PS: The cut price option would see a mini-platform as built as Conon Bridge, north of Inverness a few years ago. As the saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way.