Engineers working to repair the West Coast Main Line said damage to a crucial viaduct is more severe than they first thought on Friday January 8th. 

The line had to be closed after water pressure undermined a pier of the Lamington Viaduct in South Lanarkshire.  

Image source, bbc

An initial assessment led engineers to predict that the line could be back to normal operation by 1 February. 

Since the damage was caused during Storm Frank, main line trains have been operating from London to Carlisle. 

Passengers have to change there, using a replacement bus service or a shuttle rail service via Dumfries to reach Glasgow.  

Scottish Labour MSP Hanzala Malik asks how the government will revise its winter resilience plans for transport services in light of the disruption to west coast main line services from storm damage. 

Scottish Labour MSP Cara Hilton asks when the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities last met Fife Council and what issues were discussed.

Ms Hilton goes on to ask about the impact of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge on Fife and its roads.

Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown says the bridge will reopen the bridge to HGVs by mid-February.

A deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C has been agreed at the climate change summit in Paris after two weeks of intense negotiations.

The pact is the first to commit all countries to cut carbon emissions. 

The agreement is partly legally binding and partly voluntary. 

Earlier, key blocs, including the G77 group of developing countries, and nations such as China and India said they supported the proposals. 

President of the UN climate conference of parties (COP) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: "I now invite the COP to adopt the decision entitled Paris Agreement outlined in the document. 

An industry body has called for Scotland to triple the amount of renewable energy it produces within the next 15 years. 

Scottish Renewables said it should be possible for the country to source half of all its energy from sources such as wind farms or hydro schemes by 2030. 

That goal would include heat and transport, and electricity generation. 

Image source, Thinkstock

Today the figure stands at 15% but Scottish Renewables said the new 50% target would be achievable. 

Scotland is already expected to meet a target of producing the equivalent of 100% of its electricity demand from renewable energy schemes by 2020. 

SNP MSP Angus MacDonald asks how the refreshed infrastructure investment plan will help to tackle climate change. 

Portfolio questions begins with infrastructure, investment and cities ministers in the hot seat. They will vacate said seat for culture, Europe and external affairs ministers.

This section of portfolio questions will see a question about the impact of David Bowie on the culture of Scotland.

It’s a rare chance for the Independent and Scottish Green group to lead a debate, focusing on jobs in Scotland’s new economy.

This follows the Scottish Green’s report which says that sustainable sectors in the new economy can employ significantly more people than currently work in fossil fuel industries.

Labour MSP David Stewart will lead a member’s debate calling for frontline fire and rescue services to be protected.

The Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee comes to a close.

We'll be back with portfolio questions at 2pm with infrastructure, investment and cities ministers in the hot seat. 

Image source, PA

They will vacate said seat for culture, Europe and external affairs ministers.

This section of portfolio questions will see a question about the impact of David Bowie on the culture of Scotland.

Firstly the committee will consider the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2015, external.

This will be followed by consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 (Commencement No. 5 and Consequential Provision) Order 2015, external.  

Infrastructure and Capital Investment committee convener Jim Eadie closes the first evidence session of its inquiry into the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

After a brief suspension the committee will consider minor legislation.   

SNP MSP Clare Adamson asks about the 2011 review of FETA's proposed projects, which dropped the proposed repair, and asks if the risk analysis was robust.

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says he does believe it was robust and the FETA team knew what they were doing and were good.   

MSPs backed a bill to remove tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Bridge in 2007.

The SNP promised to abolish the last remaining bridge tolls in Scotland as part of its election campaign.

The estimated cost was about £16m a year to scrap the £1 toll on the Forth Road Bridge and the 80p toll on the Tay Bridge.

There was an overwhelming vote in favour at Holyrood. The toll gates were taken away in early 2008.

MSPs voted by 122 to three in favour of the abolition of the tolls.

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says he is confident the needs of this bridge can be funded going forward. 

Amey's Mark Arndt details the budget for the bridge for next year.

Mr Arndt details the capital programme as well.

Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon asks about the bridge tolls coming to an end in 2007-8 and asks if toll revenue was still coming in.

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says in 2007-8 there was £10.2m from tolls.

John Russell from Amey explains the funding from Transport Scotland in that year.

Ms McMahon says the capital grant to FETA subsequently falls and asks why that was.

Mr Lees says he believes FETA had capital reserves to be used.

Transport Scotland chief bridge engineer Wayne Hindshaw agrees the capital grant reduction was to allow FETA to draw on its reserves. 

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says it was FETA's bridge until last June, it was their engineers, not the Scottish government's engineers, who decided which work went ahead or not. 

Mr Hornby says the immediate structural integrity question of the bridge was that the linkages needed to be addressed and after five years they have been.

The Arup representative says in 2010 you would not have taken out that part of the bridge as a priority.

Committee convener Jim Eadie says, due to the importance of this session, he will allow it to run beyond 12pm. 

Amey's Mark Arndt says FETA's decision was appropriate.

John Russell from Amey says as a former FETA employee he thiks the decision was correct, as element was not over stressed.

Richard Hornby from Arup says it was proportionate.

Conservative MSP John Scott says the threats outlined in 2009 and 2010 to structural integrity.

Mr Scott asks if Transport Engineers understood the threat. 

Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee Convener Jime Eadie says in 2010 FETA had put forward a plan to replace the truss end links, but that was not followed through in 2011.

Mr Eadie asks if it was reasonable for FETA to decide not to go ahead with the plan.

Mr Lees says he thinks so.

Transport Scotland chief bridge engineer Wayne Hindshaw says this was fourth or fifth on FETA's list of priorities and the decision was "tolerable and appropriate" to look for a more cost effective solution.

Mr Hindshaw says FETA never brought it to Transport Scotland as a safety critical piece of work. 

Transport Scotland's Scott Lees says the maintenance budget is roughly the same as when FETA was operating it with tolls intact.

Mr Lees says the main priorities of FETAs wish list were covered.

Mr Stewart asks if spending on maintenance was higher in the FETA regime from now and Mr Lees again says the spending was similar. 

Labour MSP David Stewart asks if the work had been carried out in 2010 would the bridge not have needed to close last year.

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says if that member had been made redundant then the defect would have been made redundant, but that is not where we are those decisions were not made.

Scott Lees from Transport Scotland says Transport Scotland did not get involved in this kind of governance, it was down to FETA.

Mr Stewart says the Scottish government was 100% responsible for this in 2010.

He asks if the Scottish government rejected the project from FETA in 2010.

Mr Lees says he has seen no evidence to that effect.

Forth Road Bridge bosses FETA had considered replacing the part of the crossing which has cracked five years ago but decided not to.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said the bridge operators had looked at the "replacement of that area and much more" in 2010.

But he said it would have resulted in the bridge being closed for longer.