Starlink to consult Alloa campaigners
16, 01 15 21:27
To bolster the case for the essential STAG evaluation, the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council has contacted its counterparts in Alloa and North Berwick to see what lessons can be drawn from a town that successfully campaigned for the return of its rail link and one which resisted being a victim of the BR branch line cull of the late 1960s. While it is recognised that neither of these settlements is an exact match for St Andrews - in fact it is difficult to think of anywhere that is - nevertheless each shares some features in common with the ancient university town, and both are at the end of a branch line, as St Andrews would be. Other lessons can be learned from Helensburgh and Troon, towns of similar size and a similar distance from a large city and both served by through lines, Helensburgh (Central) also being the terminus of the line from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Comparison of towns with St Andrews
Comparison of towns with St Andrews
| Town | Population | Tourism | Golf | University | Railway |
| St Andrews | 16870 | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Alloa | 20417 | Some | No | No | Branch terminus |
| Helensburgh | 14220 | Yes | No | No | Branch terminus & through line |
| Milngavie | 12948 | No | No | No | Branch terminus |
| North Berwick | 6605 | Yes | Yes | No | Branch terminus |
| Troon | 14752 | Yes | Yes | No | Through line |