Next new/reinstated rail line in Scotland

[och aye]

After a number of rail reopenings in the last couple of decades: Larkhall branch, Airdrie-Bathgate, Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine, Borders Railway and currently Levenmouth. I realise nobody has a crystal ball and we can't predict things such as the 2008 finanical crash or other financial shocks, but I was wondering what (if) any new/reinstated railway lines we potentially may see in Scotland in the next 20 years.

A couple that spring to mind that I could realistically see happen in that time period is the Abbeyhill junction reopen as part of Waverley remodelling at the Eastern end of the station, perhaps the Almond/Dalmeny Chord too.

 

[Speed43125]

I suppose passenger trains beyond Alloa would be up there as possible as well.

 

[Clansman]

If we were making realistic guestimations only based on the current momentum of reopenings and enhancements, it wouldn't be unrealistic to expect most of the following to be built or legislated within 20-30 years;

• St Andrews
• Dalmeny Chord
• Partial HML duelling
• Peterhead
• Alloa to Dunfermline
• GARL, or a light rail or Luton DART style alternative
• Grangemouth
• Linwood and/or Kilmacolm
• Dunfermline Bypass (Inverkeithing to Halbeath)
• Glasgow-Edinburgh-Newcastle HSR (The 'blue banana' of the northern UK economy)

However, I fear that the decarbonisation of the railway in Scotland will take over as the radical investment agenda for the next 20 years in a way that makes it look like significant progress is being taken to connect communities short of actually opening any new built lines.

The lack of mention in STPR2 for interventions for the 2 most obvious reopenings akin to the scale of the Borders or Airdrie/Bathgate - St Andrews and Peterhead - makes me think the emphasis will simply be on wires and more stations. Maybe the revival of GARL at a push political will depending.

I hope to god I am wrong though.

 

[cadder toad]

Does the Dunfermline bypass(post #3) not exist already via Kirkcaldy? Maybe I'm missing something

 

[snowball]

Does the Dunfermline bypass(post #3) not exist already via Kirkcaldy? Maybe I'm missing something

As I recently said in the Haymarket-Dalmeny electrification thread when somebody mentioned it there, this seems to come from the 2016 Scotland Route Study which mentioned a "Fife bypass line" described as "running close to the M90 for approximately five miles", from a junction with the existing network between Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay to another such junction near Halbeath. "Related works are likely to be required in the Cowdenbeath area for higher linespeeds and an upgrade of Thornton North Junction to accommodate the revised routing of interurban traffic".

It was discussed around January 2017 in this thread.

I would have thought it highly unlikely to go ahead in the near future.

 

[Chester1]

However, I fear that the decarbonisation of the railway in Scotland will take over as the radical investment agenda for the next 20 years in a way that makes it look like significant progress is being taken to connect communities short of actually opening any new built lines.

As an interested but only very occasional user of services north of the wall, that seems to be the way things are heading. The Northern led tender for 450 bimodes with requirement to be able to convert to EMU or BEMU is a stark contrast to the Scottish approach. Time will tell if a rolling stock or infrastructure led approach to decarbonisation is best. The Welsh government seems to be trying to chart a middle path between the English and Scottish approaches. Am I correct in thinking there are no further planned new lines or extensions during the next control period?

 

[willgreen]

As an interested but only very occasional user of services north of the wall

I assume you don’t often use trains in Northumberland then?

 

[Chester1]

I assume you don’t often use trains in Northumberland then?

I knew someone would make that comment! It was "north of" or Game of Thones "beyond the wall".

 

[cadder toad]

If they meant the Antonine Wall then Northumberland is south of that

 

[bluenoxid]

Edinburgh tram is another one to keep an eye on for rail-based expansion opportunities

 

[och aye]

I suppose passenger trains beyond Alloa would be up there as possible as well.

The track already exists, but I read somewhere that it isn't to passenger railway standard and would require some work + station platforms!

 

[snookertam]

I think the priority in Scotland should be upgrading the existing infrastructure and rolling stock, before any extensions.

That said, I think the most likely candidate would be the routes to Fraserburgh and Peterhead. These areas are quite down trodden and have suffered from the oil downturn, a link to the national rail network would probably of benefit to the economy there.

 

[ScotTrains]

I would like to see the Dundee to Forfar railway reinstated. Most of the trackbed still exists and many new settlements have now appeared along the route since closure, eg large housing developments near Ethiebeaton, Monifieth etc.
Forfar is the second largest town in Angus yet doesn't have a railway. A new rail line would open up this part of Angus to the wider rail network, with many people currently commuting by car to Dundee and beyond.

 

[Davester50]

From a local Angus and Dundee prospective, station improvements to become a Park and Ride scheme would be nice.
Car park improvements/enlargements at Carnoustie and Arbroath.
A new station south of the Bridge, with the new schemes being built, the towns on the South Bank of the Tay are growing. A station where the A92 goes over the railway would be a decent location, as the immediate area at the south is building up, with a branch to St Andrews.
Invergowrie doesn't have parking, so a car park at least there.

 

[Wynd]

Taking the evidence based approach, as far as I know, the two lines with imminnet studies are Borders extension, and Peterhead & Fraserburgh, putting these two top of the "liklihood" list.

The Bloo Toon and the Broch are the two largest, furthest settlements from a railway station in the UK now, having inherited the title from Hawick in 2015.

St Andrews gets a fair bit of mention, but is there a study against it? Leuchars isnt that far either...

South Sub is also back in the news, but personally I have my doubts, as that may well be in some conflict with plans in Edinburgh, not to mention capacity.

GARL, or some sort of connection to the airport almost certianly has to happen in the next decade.

 

[Yorkshireguy]

St Andrews gets a fair bit of mention, but is there a study against it? Leuchars isnt that far either...

STARLink tends to be referenced quite often in response to this. It would be useful to have a more direct competitor to the (rather grim) X59 and to be able to run longer golf trains into the town to relieve the surrounding roads, especially around the time of major events. However, STARLink’s TATA Steel report proposes cutting across the Old Course Hotel’s car park and other golf facilities. Political opposition, especially from what would be a large source of custom in the golf industry, would need to be considered. I’d also consider the impact on the existing 99 bus service - it currently runs every 7-8 minutes with a roughly equivalent Leuchars - Dundee time to the railway. Its “turn-up-and-go” nature is important. Any rail curve to the north (and even one to the south) may weaken the viability of this service, potentially damaging the combined service instead. And that’s even before discussing paths on the Fife Circle or what would become of Leuchars!

I’d love to see it, but eek… there’s a lot to figure out.

 

[Wynd]

In a straight fight, a town that has an 8 min bus service to the east coast mainline, versus one that is an hours drive to its nearest station...

I know there is a lot more that goes in to it than that, but...

As it happens, I understand there will be some news on one of these prospective reopenings in the next few days...

 

[d9009alycidon]

I wonder if Dalry to Kilmarnock has been looked at as a possible alternative to get the wires to Kilmarnock. Once Barrhead and East Kilbride are wired, the GSWR services will be the last remaining Diesel services using Central and I am sure that it would be a seen as a "Green Win" to have everything electric in Central.

 

[NIT100]

I wonder if Dalry to Kilmarnock has been looked at as a possible alternative to get the wires to Kilmarnock. Once Barrhead and East Kilbride are wired, the GSWR services will be the last remaining Diesel services using Central and I am sure that it would be a seen as a "Green Win" to have everything electric in Central.

Excluding the two remaining XC extensions, if they are still around by then.

The Edinburgh Waverley Western Approaches, which included the new Almond Curve south of Dalmeny, seems to have been dropped from the Enhancement Deliveries Plan after 2020(?), so I assume the Outline Business Case for this was not good enough at the time?

 

[waverley47]

Excluding the two remaining XC extensions, if they are still around by then.

The Edinburgh Waverley Western Approaches, which included the new Almond Curve south of Dalmeny, seems to have been dropped from the Enhancement Deliveries Plan after 2020(?), so I assume the Outline Business Case for this was not good enough at the time?

The Almond chord land is still protected from development, and there is still a long term aspiration for 6tph fast Queen Street - Edinburgh, which requires the chord, so it's not dead and buried.

It's exceedingly likely however that the next fifteen years worth of 'enhancements' money has already been committed to rebuilding Carstairs Junction, Portobello Junction, Perth remodeling and a couple of other bits and bobs* and therefore it will have to wait.

*Remember, in Scotland, enhancements money is different from decarbonisation, and therefore the money for wiring is ring-fenced for wiring. Enhancements is a separate pot, agreed in five year intervals.

Money spent on enhancements is above and beyond that on decarbonisation, however much of the wiring will depend on remodelings and resignallings ect. There is also only one planning team for the whole lot, so priorities have to be made.

 

[Falcon1200]

I wonder if Dalry to Kilmarnock has been looked at as a possible alternative to get the wires to Kilmarnock. Once Barrhead and East Kilbride are wired, the GSWR services will be the last remaining Diesel services using Central and I am sure that it would be a seen as a "Green Win" to have everything electric in Central.

That would mean closing Barrhead/Kilmarnock, including three stations and the redoubled section! Anyway, electrifying Barrhead-Kilmarnock and round to Barassie would still be cheaper.

 

[Snow1964]

Seems £250,000 has been committed to review rail reopening in Peterhead and Fraserburgh area, with consultancies AECOM and Stantec involved

Campaign for north-east rail reinstatment takes a leap forward

Ambitious plans to reinstate rail links between Aberdeen and Buchan have taken a major step forward with the contract awarded for a Transport Study.

www.grampianonline.co.uk

 

[Wynd]

It certainly has. Also on the BBC.

Study to explore rail reinstatement between Aberdeen and Buchan

Campaigners want to see trains running to Buchan again, more than 50 years after the service ended.

www.bbc.co.uk

"Since the last study was published in 2016, much has changed from a policy perspective," he said, of issues such as a focus on lower carbon transport.
"However, several issues faced by businesses and communities are as valid today as they have been for decades. New railways directly address issues such as investment and social inclusion.
"CNER believes that Fraserburgh and Peterhead - currently the two largest towns in the UK furthest from the rail network - stand to benefit hugely from reconnection to rail and this study serves to make the conclusive case for why this part of the north east needs to be reconnected."
Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC), described news of the study as a "significant step forward".
"If we want to see our region's economy firing on all cylinders, we need better transport links to major centres of industry and commerce such as Peterhead and Fraserburgh, joining up settlements of significant size and population along the way," he said

 

[Falcon1200]

Seems £250,000 has been committed to review rail reopening in Peterhead and Fraserburgh area, with consultancies AECOM and Stantec involved

Interesting proposal, although I do wonder about the cost and therefore feasibility of, not reopening or reinstating but actually building new railways on the course of the old, to both Peterhead and Fraserburgh. But the review will surely look at all the issues.

 

[702]

Interesting proposal, although I do wonder about the cost and therefore feasibility of, not reopening or reinstating but actually building new railways on the course of the old, to both Peterhead and Fraserburgh. But the review will surely look at all the issues.

Would the review perhaps consider a new, more direct, single route? Just Dyce>Ellon>Peterhead>Fraserburgh? That would simplify operations surely.
Dyce to Ellon would probably be a similar alignment, but much of the rest could be new, and more direct.

The places that would lose out from the old route are:
Maud, pop. 910
Mintlaw, pop. 2800
Longside, pop. 1030
Strichen, pop. 940
I.e. nowhere very big (tho they could be feeders for a wider area) (and obv if I lived there I wouldn't be happy).

But this way you could potentially include, to cover a similar size population, some or all of the following:
Hatton, pop. 870
Cruden Bay, pop. 1570
Boddam, pop. 1220
St Fergus, pop. 740
Crimond, pop. 870

Anyway, all very speculative!

 

[och aye]

Anyway, all very speculative!

Well it's certainly the right thread for it. Get those crayons out!

 

[clc]

Strange that no-one has mentioned the project which is actually a stated priority of the Scottish Government in STPR2 and for which the Case for Investment is currently being developed, ie. Clyde Metro. This would include a heavy metro line from the city centre to Glasgow Airport with stops at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Renfrew. I’d like to see that prioritised.

 

[Wynd]

Strange that no-one has mentioned the project which is actually a stated priority of the Scottish Government in STPR2 and for which the Case for Investment is currently being developed, ie. Clyde Metro. This would include a heavy metro line from the city centre to Glasgow Airport with stops at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Renfrew. I’d like to see that prioritised.

No doubt that this needs to happen, all investment is welcome.

How much is CM, im sure I read it was going to be £16B, which is a chunk of the entire Scottish Capex budget.

Equitable splits of said budget are vital, if Holyrood is to be considered to be working well, which largely it does.

 

[507020]

I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the Kinross-shire line for reopening, or a Fort William - Inverness connection, but obviously places like St Andrews and Peterhead have priority.

 

[Wynd]

I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the Kinross-shire line for reopening, or a Fort William - Inverness connection, but obviously places like St Andrews and Peterhead have priority.

This is often mentioned, but the M90 sits atoop large sections of it.

Ft Bill - Inverness screams uncontrolable budget issues, due to terrain, for very low numbers of travelers. Not to mention planning.