I was very encouraged to hear plans for a new railway station for Winchburgh are progressing well, until I learnt what that progress entailed.
It has been agreed that West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments Ltd, the organisation responsible for the thousands of houses to be built around the old village, will be "co-promoters" of the station project, meaning they can apply for funding.
Now they are working with Network Rail on designs for the station which will then be used to produce a business case and then funding can be sought. So far so good.
But it seems the first port of call is the Edinburgh Region City Deal, which has many competing priorities and has also been responsible for the total failure to deliver a key transport project, the improvements to the Sheriffhall Roundabout.
And as far as I am aware, the City Deal's money is all accounted for, and its list of projects did not include a station for Winchburgh. The means the station project, whenever this business case is finalised, will just be joining the end of an already lengthy queue of schemes looking for cash.
What's really needed is a firm commitment for funding from Transport Scotland and Network Rail, not a commitment to help fill out some more forms.
The is proven, especially with the Scottish Government's enthusiasm for all things net zero, so when the designs are finished and the work costed, can't they just got on with it? If only life was that simple.
