I WAS pleased, although I have to admit somewhat surprised, to read Damian Henderson's excellent article on the absurdity of Transport Scotland and Network Rail dropping the Garngad Curve from the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, or EGIP ("Anger over rail slowdown", The Herald, October 31).

It is to be hoped that your report will expose the apparent plan to have this part of the EGIP project removed without anyone noticing until it is too late.

It is doubtful that reversal at Springburn can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes, certainly not the two minutes that is claimed.

With the loss of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl), and the continued denial that Crossrail would provide the most effective rail interchange in the Scottish network, the benefits that would result from increased flexibility for rail passengers have been ignored.

Through rail services from Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire to Edinburgh, Stirling and beyond would offer a viable alternative to the morning and evening delays which currently plague the motorway system around Glasgow.

Ian Richard,

61A Irvine Road,

Kilmaurs,

Ayrshire.