It has been revealed that Crossrail, the £130 million plan to link Glasgow's two main stations, has been shelved.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson came under fire for not including the plan in the Strategic Projects Review.

The Crossrail scheme would allow rail passengers from Ayrshire and the south to travel to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh without having to change stations.

MSP Bill Butler who had been campaigning for Crossrail told the Glasgow Evening News: "I believe the project, as put forward by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, is realistic, cost-effective and deliverable.

"It would deliver economic benefits not just to Glasgow but the whole of Scotland."

In his announcement the Transport Minister referred to planned work in Glasgow, including construction of a new city centre station linking the rail network to the city. He did not mention the cost or timescale for the works.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) chair Alistair Watson said: "The proposal to build a third station in central Glasgow would almost certainly have to be underground, is hugely ambitious and would cost billions.

"At this cost, would this project ever be delivered or is it an attempt to make a big promise but in effect kick the Crossrail proposal into the long grass?".

Mr Stevenson included a proposal for the Metro/Light Rapid Transport across Glasgow in his announcement.

This plan was welcomed by Mr Watson which said it was similar to SPT's proposed Fastlink system.

In total Mr Stevenson announced a £25 billion road and rail improvement package.

This included confirmation of a new £2 billion Forth bridge crossing.

It also set out a new national ticketing system covering rail and buses, dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness and the A96 from Inverness to Nairn, the upgrade of the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William and more park-and-ride facilities.