GLASGOW must show more ambition to grow the rail network to accommodate more passengers and new services a city MP has said.

After being criticised as using the scrapping of the airport rail link as a “political football" by the city council leader, Susan Aitken, Paul Sweeney, Glasgow North East MP, said the decision is wrong and is evidence of a lack of ambition.

Ms Aitken said the airport rail link was a “calamity waiting to happen” and blamed her Labour predecessors for leaving her with an unworkable project that was “fundamentally flawed”.

She said it would have impacted on tens of thousands of passengers every day on current commuter services into Glasgow from Ayrshire, East Kilbride and Inverclyde.

Mr Sweeney however said instead of “capitulating” to Transport Scotland, the city council leadership should be showing vision and looking to address those capacity issues with investment, build a rail link to the airport and create a better rail network at the same time.

He said: “It is time for Glasgow’s metropolitan rail network to be taken to the next level.”

The MP said that Transport Scotland has around £5bn to spend on rail in the next five years and Glasgow should be making a serious pitch for improvements.

He said: “This is not about looking at the airport rail link in isolation but it is about building capacity in the rail system.”

Mr Sweeney added: "The basic structure of a world class network is there in the city and with a bit of extra effort and ambition it can be connected.”

He suggested a line on either side of the Clyde linking The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Braehead, Renfrew, Erskine and Glasgow Airport via the proposed new bridge at Yoker with communities on the north bank at Scotstoun and Whiteinch on the now, cycle path as an example of linking the city with the airport but other facilities as well.

He added: “Labour, under Strathclyde region invested in the rail network with the Maryhill Line, improving the Argyle line and left plans for Crossrail and the Airport rail link.

“In contrast the lack of ambition is stark.

“The level of investment in the city’s rail network is stagnant.”

At a meeting of the City Region Cabinet, Ms Aitken again told councillors of the reasons for cancelling the project.

She said: “There were significant barriers to the previous OBC (Outline Business Case) for a tram/train project.

“It was agreed to take a step back to examine our options.

“A decision was taken that a PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) should be taken to OBC and that would offer a way forward to get round intractable issues.”

Ms Aitken has also said that linking a tram system into the heavy rail network "raised serious safety concerns”.

And that it ran the risk of going over budget.