'We need to ease traffic pressure,' says Citizen

The St Andrews Citizen featured the supportive letters from the St Andrews Partnership on its front page. The charity, which includes representatives from all the major ‘stakeholders’ in the town, cites the million visitors per annum and more than 2000 daily commuting journeys, most involving cars, causing traffic congestion ten miles down the road at Cupar. Read More...

'Folly,' says St Andrean

In response to the article in the Courier, a St Andrews resident has demanded that no public money be spent upon the ‘folly’ of a St Andrews Railway. Read More...

Partnership urges progress in campaign

An influential partnership, representing most of the major interests in St Andrews, has written to Fife Council and TayPlan, urging that they facilitate a professional evaluation of the proposals for a new rail connection to the town.

In today’s
Courier the St Andrews Partnership argues that SESTRAN should carry out the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) as soon as possible, saying the idea merits ‘serious consideration’. It also asks TayPlan to incorporate the scheme into the strategic plan for Tayside & North East Fife. Read More...

MSP supports campaign for St Andrews station

Rod Campbell MSP has confirmed his support for a St Andrews station in today’s St Andrews Citizen, Read More...

North East Fife MSP acknowledges efforts of Starlink

During a debate in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Rod Campbell MSP described the Starlink campaign as a ‘very worthy campaign’ and commended it for ‘working tirelessly’ and showing ‘great initiative in engaging with transport experts’ as well as ‘lobbying various public bodies’. Mr Campbell urged the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland to give the case ‘appropriate consideration’. Read More...

Fife Council rail report delayed

The expected report on the St Andrews railway was not included in the agenda for today’s North East Fife Area Committee. It is now anticipated that it will be tabled in October or November. Read More...

'St Andrews is next priority,' says SNP councillor

A senior SNP member of Fife Council has stated that the new Borders line is the first rail priority, and the next is St Andrews. Read More...

Starlink's TayPlan submission

The Courier featured the Starlink submission to TayPlan, the strategic city region plan which includes North East Fife. The article revealed that the proposal, along with the other Big Ideas submitted during the recent non-statutory consultation, will be considered by TayPlan on 1st October, less than a week after the matter is considered by Fife Council’s North East Area Committee. It is hoped that Fife Council will send a strong message endorsing the project to TayPlan. Read More...

Glenfarg - possible effects upon NE Fife services

The St Andrews Citizen gave further detail of the Starlink campaign’s concerns about possible repercussions of the effective rerouting of the East Coast Main Line, should the Edinburgh-Perth line via Glenfarg be restored, unless steps are taken to preserve the level of service to Cupar and Leuchars. Read More...

Welcome for Glenfarg proposals but ...

As reported in the Courier, the Starlink campaign has welcomed an innovative suggestion from Transform Scotland that the line from Inverkeithing to Perth be reinstated, while raising the possible disadvantages to North East Fife should the cross-border trains to Aberdeen be re-routed due to the faster journey time. The proposal formed part of a discussion in the Scottish Parliament last week on rail services, with Transform Scotland briefing MSPs prior to the debate. Read More...

'Ludicrous' not to keep St Andrews station

A Facebook comment posted on ILoveStAndrews and quoted in the St Andrews Citizen from one Dee Sinclair describes the closure of St Andrews railway station as ‘ludicrous’. Read More...

Transport expert tells how to fund railway

Land value capture could be used to fund new railway developments at St Andrews and Levenmouth, members of Rail Future Scotland heard at their recent AGM in Edinburgh. Under the headline ‘New train of thought on rail link’ the St Andrews Citizen reported how transport expert Professor George Hazel explained that, because property within a mile of a new station increased in value, it was possible to agree contributions with would-be developers to fund the line. Read More...

'Unnecessary, costly project'

A St Andrews resident has complained that the ‘constant rhetoric and propaganda being reported’ about the campaign for a new railway is ‘becoming tedious’, branding the project ‘unnecessary, impractical and outrageously costly.’ Read More...

'Positive signals'

The St Andrews Citizen reported the presentation to the North East Fife Area Committee and its aftermath under the stirring headline ‘Rail link campaigners given positive signals’, and then ‘Councillors’ reaction seen as ‘encouraging’’.

The article covers the responses to the consultation, the importance of SESTRAN carrying out the STAG and the necessity of amending TayPlan, and the forthcoming report to the Area Committee. The benefits to Cupar and the attraction of rail to car-drivers were also emphasised.
Read More...

'Leap forward for St Andrews rail link'

The Dundee Evening Telegraph carried a report of the Starlink presentation to the Area Committee, describing the forthcoming further report as a ‘leap forward.’ Read More...

'Massive step forward'

The campaign to reinstate a railway line to St Andrews has taken ‘a massive step forward’ according to today’s Courier, with members of Fife Council set to consider the case for a new line when a formal report is presented to them later this year.

During the recent presentation by Starlink to the North East Fife Area Committee, councillors were urged to support a formal appraisal of the scheme by SESTRAN and an amendment to the strategic TayPlan to include provision for the line. It was pointed out that the STAG (Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance) should include ensuring that the service level marched the demand and also the environmental assessment, to define the business and environmental case.
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Fife Council hears case for St Andrews railway

Members of the North East Fife Area Committee of Fife Council listened to a presentation by the Starlink campaign. Afterwards, several elected members asked a variety of questions and it was revealed that a report from the Transportation Service will be coming to a later meeting of the committee. Read More...

'Beeching did not close St Andrews'

Today an article in ‘The Courier’ points out that the St Andrews line was not a victim of the Beeching cuts but of British Rail’s indiscriminate cull of branch lines. Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston noted that in Scotland only North Berwick survived, due to their MP’s efforts, and that a flawed accounting method was used to justify closures. Read More...

'What about St Andrews?'

An Edinburgh resident has written to ‘The Scotsman’ asking what has happened to the prospects for re-opening the St Andrews railway, and describing the lack of such a connection as ‘quite ridiculous’. Read More...

Support from Scotrail

The Starlink campaign has received a welcome boost prior to the presentation to Fife Council next week, with a senior Scotrail official confirming that they consider the Tata report to be a ‘credible base’ for the development of a STAG appraisal and expressing the hope that the presentation will stimulate discussion between the appropriate bodies to bring this about. Read More...

St Andrews case to be made at Fife Council

The North East Fife Area Committee of Fife Council will hear the case for the new St Andrews railway at their meeting at 09.30 on Wednesday 27th March at County Hall, Cupar. Read More...

Successful fund-raising event

The recent coffee-morning in aid of the Starlink campaign was very successful and will have realised £100 once the bills have been paid. Thanks to all who supported the event. Read More...

St Andrews report featured in professional journal

An account of the presentation given by Howard Pack and Rita O’Neill to CILT Scotland in November has appeared in the February issue of ‘Logistics & Transport’, the journal of CILT UK.

See Page 68 of:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//launch.aspx?pbid=341260c5-6f8b-480f-80c4-eb42fcdfcbb2
Read More...

Enthusiasm in capital for St Andrews proposals

Members and supporters of CRAG (Capital Rail Action Group) tonight gave an enthusiastic reception to a presentation in Edinburgh on the progress of Starlink, and declared that the campaign to restore a railway to St Andrews was gathering momentum. Read More...

St Andrews railway on Fife Council agenda - date for your diary

There will be a Starlink presentation on the agenda of Fife Council’s influential North East Fife Area Committee on the morning of 27th March in County Buildings, Cupar. This meeting is open to the public. Read More...

Forthcoming events

Capital Rail Acton Group (CRAG) in Friend Meeting House, Edinburgh on Tuesday 5th February - illustrated talk on Starlink campaign.

Annual coffee-morning, St Andrews Town Hall on Saturday 2nd March.
Read More...