Network Rail are reported to be looking into the idea of building a viewing platform for visitors on top of the famous Forth Rail Bridge.

A ten year project to re-paint the 1½ mile bridge was finally completed last year. It was a massive undertaking that required lifts to be built in each of the three main cantalever towers to give the work crews and their equipment access to the top of the giant structures. The thinking is, that these could be converted to carry tourists to a purpose built viewing platform 100 metres (330ft) above the water.

The idea is reported to have come from the editor of Rail Magazine, Nigel Harris, who visited the bridge recently. He is quoted saying that a "'Forth Bridge Experience' could easily be as globally famous and respected as the Eiffel Tower visit - only better”

Perhaps not. The banks of the Forth don't have quite the same passing footfall as the centre of Paris, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea.

Photo: Rev Stan