Cash will be held back from developing further the plans for a rail link to Glasgow Airport until concerns raised have been dealt with.

So far a total of £2million has been spent on project development.

Last month an audit report for Transport Scotland identified a number of issues that question the viability of the project.

The report by rail consultants Jacobs had concerns over demand for s rail link at the airport. The benefits of accessibility to the airport and the overall economic case.

Three were also concerns about e impact on the wider rail network in the west of Scotland if an extra four trains an hour are running form Glasgow Central to Paisley Gilmour Street as part of the rail link plan.

Following the report the Transport minister, leaders of Glasgow City council, Renfrewshire Council and the airport and Network Rail met to discuss the project.

They discussed the impact on other rail services and the need to increase capacity at Central Station to accommodate the rail link.

A list of work needing to be carried out is to be drawn up by transport Scotland before the end of the year.

The parties agreed

The transport Minister said the Transport Scotland was looking to improve the capacity at Central Station and it was discussed if the airport project could be given priority and incorporated into those works

The Glasgow City Region Cabinet which oversees the rail link project as part of the City Deal agreed the impact on the rail network is the key issue.

The councillors on the cabinet agreed that any further expenditure on the project will be “kept to a minimum” until the concerns have been addressed.

The City Region Cabinet approved the outline business case for the rail link and has been working towards the full business case.

Council sources said a “step back” would be taken to allow the issues and options to be considered.

It was also noted at the cabinet that the audit for Transport Scotland presented some information in a way that “was unhelpful and led to negative headlines”.

Government sources have indicated that the £144m available for the rail link is not enough to also address the external factors.

If the current proposal is not viable then other potential solutions are a separate tram running from Paisley Gilmour Street to the airport.

A tram from Glasgow city centre to the airport has been mentioned as an alternative but is considered to be too costly and after the Edinburgh tram experience is highly unlikely to receive any support from the government.

The original plan for a Glasgow Airport Rail Link was scrapped in 2009 by then Finance Secretary John Swinney in his Scottish budget.

Since then the airport, Renfrewshire council and Glasgow City council have been working to devise a solution to the access problems