25/11/2009 05:36:00

Plans to establish a hovercraft route between Edinburgh and Fife have taken a step forward with the news that Stagecoach and Bland Group are proposing a deal.

The agreement would see the transport group agree to the terms of Bland Group, the family run business that owns Griffon Hoverwork Ltd and Hovertravel, and would provide Stagecoach with access to the world's leading manufacturer of hovercrafts. Hovertravel already successfully provides a hovercraft link between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

The Gibraltar Chronicle reports that the deal would see Perth-based Stagecoach and the Bland Group investing £7m each, as well as constructing and managing two hi-tech hovercraft to provide a permanent service between Kirkcaldy and Portobello.

The journey across the Forth River would be reduced to 20 minutes, and plans include a number of shuttle buses to provide transport links in both destinations. Stagecoach has indicated that it supports a proposed passenger ferry linking Burntisland and Granton too.

A number of meetings with communities on both sides of the Forth are planned for the coming weeks and detailed planning applications are hoped to be submitted to the Fife Council and City of Edinburgh Council before the end of the year.

According to the Gibraltar Chronicle, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, Brian Souter, said: "We believe it is important to maintain the momentum behind the project and we are delighted to have a joint venture partner and significant private sector funding now in place.

"This is a further step forward in our plans. Securing planning permission is a critical element of the project and we will be looking to progress this while continuing our discussions on public sector support."

It is estimated that if the service goes ahead, 870,000 passengers will take the trip each year.