Holyrood hears Formartine line "should not be excluded" from 20-year rail strategy
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Relaying north east rail lines “should not be excluded” from Scotland’s long-term transport strategy if carbon net zero objectives are to succeed, MSPs have been told.
A Holyrood committee heard evidence from experts about the aims of ScotRail as it passes into public ownership on April 1.
North East region Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr asked a panellist from independent watchdog Transport Focus about the prospect of renewing the Formartine line from Fraserburgh and Peterhead to Aberdeen.
This was absent from the recently published Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which sets out Scottish Government projects for the next 20 years.
The group’s Robert Samson agreed that “they should be included to see if they’re deliverable, if they’re feasible and actually make a difference to people’s travelling behaviours.”
At the Net Zero, Energy and Transport committee Mr Kerr said: “You just mentioned STPR2, which is undeniably important.
"STP R2 doesn't even mention relaying the lines from Peterhead and Fraserburgh to Aberdeen.
“So, they will remain the farthest places on the mainland from a station, and the only option then is to drive, which would seem to fly in the face of all our ambitions here.
“So in your view, should the decision to exclude all consideration of those lines from Fraserburgh and Peterhead to Aberdeen be reviewed?
"And maybe a feasibility study ordered at the very least?”
Senior stakeholder manager Mr Samson said: “No, they should not be excluded as part of the wider net zero debate.
“They should be included to see if they’re deliverable and if they’re feasible and actually make a difference to people’s travelling behaviours.”
The renewal of the Buchan rail link to Formartine was part of the SNP/Green “Bute House agreement” formalising their Scottish Government coalition.
It was previously the subject of an SNP conference motion and was promised during Alex Salmond’s campaign in the 2017 General Election.
