SEVERAL new rail stations could be set to come to West Fife if proposals to expand Scotland's rail network are progressed.

Influential think tank Railfuture Scotland has mapped out the list of 51 stations to be opened or re-opened in a bid to tempt the public back aboard trains as COVID restrictions are lifted and as the nation shifts away from carbon-emitting cars.

Included on the list are Halbeath, Cairneyhill, Kincardine, Valleyfield and Culross.

The Halbeath station could see the long-awaited rail addition to the existing park and ride facility and Railfuture Scotland estimate a minimum of 70,000 people a year would use any new stop there.

They expect a minimum of 46,000 users would use a station at Cairneyhill every year, 44,000 at Kincardine, 40,000 at Culross and 42,000 at any new Valleyfield halt.

Scotland has set itself a tough 2045 net zero target – and public transport has to be prepared as replacing petrol and diesel car journeys with low-emission trains and buses alongside electric vehicles, walking and cycling are seen as a way forward to cut greenhouse gases.

The new stations proposed to be opened or re-opened lie on existing or Government-proposed rail lines and have been assessed to provide the greatest immediate benefits.

They say most can be served by existing train services and would make up for decades of under-investment.

Jane Ann Liston, secretary of Railfuture Scotland, said: "These stations are considered necessary to provide an attractive and environmentally-friendly alternative to road vehicles.

"Each of the locations has some specific feature as to why it needs a station, such as an attraction which brings in many people, a major employer, or simply a large number of residents who need to travel. These stations would open up more of the country to non-road travel.

"The original justifications for the stations on the list still stand but to them must now be added the imperativeness of attracting people back to trains in the wake of the pandemic, as the message that public transport is not safe still lingers in the public consciousness with the result that passenger numbers are still well below what they were prior to March 2020."