Campaign For North East Rail lay out their dream of a Buchan Railway connecting Ellon, Peterhead and Fraserburgh to Aberdeen
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Campaign For North East Rail gathered interested parties last week to share their vision for a Buchan Railway line.
The proposed railway could see Ellon, Peterhead and Fraserburgh reconnected to Aberdeen by rail in a bid to make the north-east a more appealing place for individuals and businesses as well as supporting the fight against climate change.
On Thursday, various groups gathered to hear more about the proposals, the impact the proposed railway could have and what would be required to make it a reality in a presentation co-ordinated by Aberdeen And Grampian Chamber Of Commerce and hosted by Ellon's Brewdog.
Members of Campaign For North East Rail took attendees through a detailed Powerpoint presentation, laying out the different aspects of rebuilding a rail link.
The group have estimated that a rail link to Peterhead could cost somewhere in the region of £450,000,000-£500,000.000, with another £200,000,000-£400,000,000 needed to connect Fraserburgh to the city, but reckon it is justifiable in the long term.
The benefits of such a rail link include less traffic on the roads making north-east roads safer and more pleasant, increasing access to Buchan and therefore making it more appealing to visitors and businesses alike and helping to combat the climate crisis.
It was also noted that while it will be incredibly expensive to build a Buchan railway it would in part be offset by alleviating costs in other areas in the future, such as road maintenance.
With much of the Buchan coast, from Peterhead to Banff, identified as an area where regeneration should be considered a priority the rail link would be significant in supporting this.
There is a particular focus on using the route for freight carriage, as Buchan is well placed for fishing, farming and beer as well as providing the shortest route for trade to Norway.
The group said that businesses on the AWPR are seeing the benefits of the road being opened, while businesses north of Aberdeen remain at a disadvantage, citing the Buchan Railway as the perfect opportunity to change this.
The similarities between the proposed Buchan Railway and the successful Borders Railway were often highlighted.
While various routes have been considered, each with their own pros and cons, the route could see train stations in Newmachar, Pitmedden, Cruden Bay, Maud, Strichen and Crimond.
It was estimated that each station would cost between £10,000,000 and £15,000,000 to build.
The campaign group said that the main things required now to move the proposal from a "pipe dream" to reality are cross party support, enthusiasm from businesses and "a lot of political pressure".
