It is tempting to think the Scottish Government granted a welcome reprieve to the freight facilities grants scheme as a deliberate snub to politicians south of the border, after England closed its own scheme down in a triumph of bean-counting over forward-thinking.

Regardless of the motivations though, these are relatively small payments – especially compared to the oodles of public money spent and often wasted on road projects – that will have a big effect on rail infrastructure. Long-term, they will pay for themselves in terms of economic growth, tax receipts and rail upgrades which can also benefit passenger routes.

It is also a tribute to the efforts of the Rail Freight Group, whose careful lobbying of key MSPs has clearly paid off.