AS he enters his final weeks as Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond looked back at the Commonwealth Games as one of the highlights of his tenure.

Progress on youth unemployment and improvements to the transport network were among his government's main achievements for Glasgow, he believed.

However, more work is still needed on both, and he delivered a warning not to trust the Tory government on handing new powers to cities as the post-referendum negotiations get underway.

Mr Salmond spoke to the Evening Times about the changes in Glasgow over his seven years as First Minister, and said investment in motorways was a success, while wanting more on rail.

He said: "The transport infrastructure around Glasgow has been a big benefit, no question about that.

"I think back a few years, the M74 and M80 were nightmares, and we were able to do that during the very worst of the financial crisis.

"I remember cutting the fist sod on the M74, and the worker showing me the digger, his first job was on the start of the M74 in the 1970s and his last job was on the completion. How can it have taken 40 years to complete a motorway?"

He wanted better connections on the railways and with cities in the north of England and criticised the spend on high speed rail south of the border.

He said: "I don't think it's a great idea to wait 60 years for 'fastrail', which is how long it's going to take to build it from London.

"I've always been keen to get the powers to seize the initiative to link Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Why wait for a railway to arrive from London that might never arrive? Why not say there's great interest for us in linking up our cities?

"If the vow is redeemed then that would be one of the key targets, to get power over inter-border services and borrowing powers.

"Why should Glasgow and Scotland contribute 8% of the borrowing to built fastrail which might get to us in 2016? We'll all be dead by the time fastrail gets to Scotland."

Mr Salmond said he was pleased with the progress in employment, with youth unemployment this week dropping by 30,000 to the lowest since 2006.

He said: "Employment figures are definitive. I think we've made substantial progress. We've recovered faster from the recession than the UK as a whole.

"Our jobs totals are outstanding, we've got higher employment, lower unemployment and the female employment figures are brilliant. This big dent in youth unemployment is particularly pleasing because it's been the most difficult challenge in government.

" It's still far too high, incidentally, but it's much, much lower than it was any time since 2007. In fact it's back to 2007 levels."

As he prepares to leave the Government stage it is Glasgow's time on the world stage he remembers most.

He said: "The backing and infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games was a fair amount of money, £500m of investment.

"I think everyone thinks it was money well spent in the city of Glasgow to present a Games, in the words of the federation that was the best games in history.

"If I was to pick one thing out, I think the Hydro is the greatest single piece of infrastructure investment I've ever seen as an economic driver."

He hopes to return to the venues and one in particular that was at the heart of the Games

He said: "The East End of course. I'm looking forward to going back to the Athletes village at some appropriate stage.

"I want to see it as it becomes a people's village."

stewart.paterson@ eveningtimes.co.uk