is The Hover Back In The Water?

It's been almost exactly a year since I last mentioned the proposed hovercraft service across the River Forth, from Fife to Edinburgh.

At that point, it seemed like the service might have been dead in the water after it became a party-political issue. The company that had run the trials, Stagecoach, was very keen but for various reasons they were being advised that it would take years to get the service going, and there was no guarantee that Stagecoach would be running it when it did.

Given the capacity problems with the Forth Road Bridge and the ludicrous "need" for a second bridge, it seems crazy to just abandon a scheme which would take 900,000 commuters a year off the road.

Now, though, it seems that the hovercraft is rising from the beach again. Stagecoach and the hovercraft makers have set up a joint venture and will shortly be applying for planning permission. Given that Fife Council previously set aside some money to build the permanent infrastructure needed for the hovercraft service, hopefully the planning permission will be a formality.