'Doesn't St Andrews deserve world-class transportation?' asks American

In a letter to the St Andrews Citizen Mr K. Rosenberg calls for Fife Council and the Government to see that a railway to St Andrews supported and funded. Read More...

American calls for railway to 'Jewel of Scotland'

In a letter to The Scotsman an American from Oregon, planning to retire to Scotland, has called attention to the inadequate public transport connections to St Andrews. Read More...

Economist's verdict on St Andrews line and Starlink's reaction to 'virtual railway'

In the St Andrews Citizen economist Colin McAlister says that a new St Andrews railway line should not be built because it is unlikely to recover its variable costs. However the old branch line probably did cover its costs and therefore should not have been closed.

Meanwhile, Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston has claimed that St Andrews is being 'fobbed off' by the Scottish Government's promise of a 'virtual railway', which amounts to an electronic noticeboard, putting the bus times into the train timetable and enabling passengers to buy a joint bus-rail ticket from St Andrews, the ability to buy one to St Andrews having existed for a few years.
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Yet another taxi-driver's outburst

Another St Andrews taxi-driver slams the Starlink campaign, claiming it would be 'a glorified bus service' used by few and far too expensive. Read More...

Taxi Association says 'no room for car-parking'

The chair of the East Fife Taxi Association again insisted that there would be no room for car-parking at a St Andrews station, and accused the Starlink convenor of being 'blinkered' and pursuing self-interest. Read More...

Former taxi/bus driver again naysaying but support from Dunino lady, as well as a rebuttal of East Fife Taxi Association

In the St Andrews Citizen former taxi/bus driver Les Beech restates his views at length, concluding that there is no great need for a railway to St Andrews and no great support for it. But Sarah Heald supports the campaign on environmental grounds, noting that the cost to the environment of not providing an alternative to the car is the most important consideration. And Starlink denied that they advocated a St Andrews station with no car-park, pointed out that not only St Andrews but also other settlements along the A91 suffer from excess traffic heading for the town and that there would still be plenty of work for taxi-drivers with a St Andrews station. Read More...

Another blast from the taxi industry

A letter in the St Andrews Citizen from the chair of the East Fife taxi association slams the St Andrews Rail Link campaign for being too St Andrews-centred and that people don't use public transport on bank holidays. Read More...

Case for railway line restated

Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston has responded to taxi driver Stuart Winton in the Courier, saying there would still be plenty of work for taxi drivers with a railway station in St Andrews, and warned that without it, visitors could eschew St Andrews for more accessible golf resorts. Read More...

Taxi driver blasts Starlink campaign

In The Courier a taxi driver who operates between Leuchars station and St Andrews has 'blasted' the campaign to restore the railway. Well he would, wouldn't he? Read More...

Support for St Andrews and rail renaissance

An Ayrshire man has written to The Scotsman applauding Lawrence Marshall's support of a railway to St Andrews and calls for the reconnection for many more towns who lost their lines thanks to Beeching. Of course the demise of the St Andrews line was not part of the Beeching cuts but fell victim of British Rail's indiscriminate cull of branch lines (of which the only Scottish survivor was North Berwick). However, thank you Richard G. Lyon of Maybole for your support. Read More...

Pitlochry man says buses are enough

Kevin Lawrie in The Scotsman says the better-off wanting a sustainable transport option can take buses to St Andrews from Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow. Read More...

Money for railway cannot be justified, claims St Andrean

In the St Andrews Citizen a St Andrean claims that the amount of money required to build a railway to his home town, which he says would only 'duplicate' what the bus service does, cannot be justified while the town's roads are in poor condition. Read More...

Sound case for a rail link to St Andrews

In a letter to The Scotsman Lawrence Marshall pointed out that a St Andrews station could link with several services rather than just a shuttle to Cupar. Read More...

Pitlochry man claims St Andrews does not need a railway

Letter in The Scotsman claiming that Alloa did not justify reconnecting St Andrews, that the services at Leuchars Station were enough for St Andrews and anyway a shuttle rail service would not be much used because people would find a bus or taxi more convenient and commuters would drive. Read More...

Lack of St Andrews railway 'an anomaly'

In the St Andrews Citizen Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston responded to the letter from a former taxi-driver, remarking that the fact St Andrews didn't have a railway was anomalous which should be rectified. Read More...

St Andrews needs rail link

Letter in The Courier suggesting south-facing link

'St Andrews deserves no less'. Read More...

Jewel's missing link

Letter in The Scotsman describing St Andrews' disconnection from rail network as 'all the more incomprehensible' because of the re-opening of Alloa. Read More...

National newspaper calls for better connection to St Andrews

Scotland on Sunday's editorial has called for a better public transport system for towns outwith the Central Belt, including St Andrews. Read More...

Former taxi-driver/bus driver states his views and Starlink reiterates case

In the letter-column of the St Andrews Citizen Les Beech, former spokesperson for local taxi-drivers and also bus-driver, expressed doubts that a St Andrews railway would alleviate the town's problems. In contrast the Starlink campaign stated that a railway line was only 'common sense' and would be good for the town. Read More...

Views of Architectural Heritage Society on Starlink campaign

The East Fife representative of the AHSS, Glen Pride, says the cost of a railway would be disproportionate and only a minority of people would use it. However as he made no comments about architecture one assumes he was speaking in a personal capacity. Read More...

MSP gets wrong end of stick - but council's deputy leader supports study

Tricia Marwick MSP claimed that linking the Leven and St Andrews campaigns could jeopardise the former, because the East Neuk line had been destroyed and built upon and would cost millions to reinstate. In fact Starlink was calling for no such thing but simply to link the campaigns for their mutual benefit. Not so much a case of getting hold of the wrong end of the stick but holding the wrong implement altogether! Read More...

More radio coverage

Radio Tay interviewed Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston on its news programme.

Starlink on TV and radio

BBC Scotland featured the St Andrews rail campaign on Reporting Scotland and also on Radio Scotland's Morning Extra.

Opinions of retired statistician on Starlink campaign

A retired statistics lecturer who claims to be a railway enthusiast, John Newton, has claimed that the Starlink campaign is flawed and that a railway to St Andrews is 'a very bad idea'. Read More...

New Web Site

Hello!

Here we are with a brand new web site; the space and initial setup is donated by the
Event: St Andrews web site – on the assumption that people who want to know what's on in St Andrews might also want to travel to or from the town...

Burning Issue - Courier

The Courier made the St Andrews rail campaign a 'Burning Issue', along with Leven, thus beginning several days of press articles. Support was expressed by Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP among others. Gridlock in St Andrews on the 5th May public holiday the previous day brought the campaign into sharp relief. Read More...

Starlink Questionnaire – preliminary results

80% of residents who do take the bus to Leuchars for the train would use rail more if there were rail services to St Andrews.

78% of residents who do not take the bus to Leuchars for the train would use a St Andrews railway (as most of these are driving a car, this suggests a good opportunity for modal shift).

Those 2 figures comprise 79% of the residents’ responses; another 15% are users of the bus to Leuchars who would make the same amount of rail journeys if a St Andrews railway were built.

Therefore support for the railway from the respondees is overwhelming.
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