CALLS to re-open the Alloa to Dunfermline Railway line to passengers are continuing despite being left out of a recent government transport plan.

Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell is renewing calls for the railway line to become an urgent priority, after finding no mention of it in a recent list of Scottish Government proposals.

The representative explained the line could be the ticket to a low-carbon public transport network and a wealth of opportunities in the wider region.

Mr Ruskell said: "We are facing a climate emergency and we need to explore all options to get people out of private cars and onto low-carbon public transport.

"It's ridiculous that a journey between Alloa and Dunfermline by train currently takes more than two hours despite the fact they're only 14 miles apart, especially since a disused stretch of track already connects them.

"The line would also allow onward journeys to places like Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh creating transformational opportunities for the whole region by making work, education and leisure more accessible."

Mr Ruskell has long been an advocate for the Alloa to Dunfermline line to be re-opened and his repeated calls come after phase one recommendations from the Strategic Transport Projects Review were revealed.

A petition by the Greens to re-open the line to passengers has also been gaining traction with just under 900 signatures at the time of writing.

Mr Ruskell explained that Alloa and Dunfermline are already connected by tracks via Kincardine as the line was used for freight deliveries to the former coal-fired power station at Longannet.

His party has also published a £22billion Rail for All programme and the Alloa to Dunfermline line form a central part of their proposals for a low carbon Scottish rail network.

The Mid-Scotland and Fife representative added: "Rail will play an integral part of our response to the climate emergency and is central to the future of public transport.

"But there's no reason to delay, this line can and should be reopened as soon as possible, and must be a top priority when the phase two report is published in the autumn."

While the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) did not mention the Alloa to Dunfermline line, it does include a Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan (DAP).

A Transport Scotland spokesperson also said the reintroduction of the Dunfermline to Alloa route was still under consideration.

They added: "Further projects are being considered in the next phase of STPR2, due to report in the Autumn, and this includes the Dunfermline – Alloa route.

"At this time, Covid-19 is creating significant uncertainty on future transport trends and people's behaviours, and work and lifestyle choices.

"Therefore, it is appropriate that we have prioritised those projects with the most immediate benefits.

"Further proposals for any project being progressed will need to meet our ambitious decarbonisation and modal shift targets, once we better understand the impacts of Covid-19 on work patterns and public transport use."