Viewing platform visitor boost planned for Forth Bridge

A viewing platform, set 100 metres above the River Forth, is set to open on the Forth Bridge, offering spectacular views and drawing potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors to west Fife per year.

The platform will be reachable from two glass lifts connected to a new visitor centre in the base of the rail bridge’s northern Fife Tower. Alternatively, visitors can take part in guided climbs to the South Tower from a second visitor centre in South Queensferry.

Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker said: “I’m very pleased to hear about the ambitious proposals for turning the Forth Bridge into a major tourist attraction, which I hope will bring a substantial boost to the economy of west Fife.

“When I was on the board of FETA, the Forth Road Bridge operator, I got to climb to the top of the road bridge’s south tower and walk under the roadway. The views across the Forth were just incredible. Now, visitors to the older rail bridge will be able to enjoy those spectacular views, perhaps by 2015 in time for the Forth Bridge’s 125th anniversary.

“The Forth Bridge is one of the most impressive and ground-breaking engineering feats of the 19th century. With it currently on the tentative list for UNESCO world heritage status and with the new Queensferry Crossing set to open in 2016, west Fife looks set to gain a real boost in tourism.”