Rail magazine features Fife re-openings

A comprehensive feature on Fife re-openings in Rail magazine considers the prospects for the Levenmouth, Dunfermline-Alloa and St Andrews rail projects.

‘Plans breathing new life into Fife’ by Graeme Pickering looks at details of the new Levenmouth line, agreed by the Transport Minister Michael Matheson in August, including the locations of the stations at Cameron Bridge and Levenmouth, the latter to be situated beside the bus station to facilitate integrated public transport, as well as the proposed re-opening of the erstwhile line from Alloa to Longannet, including new stations at Clackmannan and Kincardine, although extending the line to its logical conclusion in Dunfermline is to be considered separately. St Andrews is also examined closely, with the observation that a railway could greatly assist tourists including those disembarking from cruise ships at Rosyth to reach the ancient town, without getting snarled up in lines of vehicles bearing others with the same thought, plus reducing the congestion in the town itself. The difficulties of people accessing employment in the town without relying upon a car are also noted, with the town’s poor connectivity hampering St Andrews from achieving its full potential, to the benefit of the wider surrounding area.

The piece also reveals that the first part of the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) evaluation has been completed and passed to Transport Scotland, so the next part will be starting early in the New Year.