Plains station hope derailed Major feasibility report says no to trains option

Building a railway station at Plains has been officially rejected by a major feasibility report – while councillors on all sides of the North Lanarkshire chamber again reaffirmed their support for bringing train services to the village.

Councillor Tommy Morgan, who represents the village, called the issue “the biggest political football I’ve seen between different levels of government in 28 years as a councillor” when he was given special permission to address the planning committee.

The meeting was presented with the outcome of an independentlycompiled Strategic Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) report – with members being informed that it “rejected the railway station option partly on environmental and economic grounds, but more significantly on grounds of risk, uncertainty and implementability”.

Airdrie North councillor Sophia Coyle had unsuccessfully requested that it be returned for further independent reassessment, querying the proposed costs of £8-11 million in comparison to the £ 2.5m construction of neighbouring Caldercruix in 2010.

However, with a majority voting to accept the report’s findings and conclusions, it means the local authority will no longer be pursuing an application to the Scottish stations fund, for which the study was originally commissioned.

The local authority wi l l instead work to implement its recommendation to improve bus services for Plains; but councillors did also agree a recommendation to “engage with Transport Scotland to further consider the two options”.

Plains resident Councillor Morgan said he made “no apology for being passionate about this item, which is dear to my heart” – and said: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

“The estimated costs aren’t our costs, and this authority has no statutory or financial duty to build a station; the Scottish Government has responsibility for that.

“North Lanarkshire has always insisted that the strategic grounds for this station are socioeconomic. A station would make the greatest contribution to enhanced connectivity and access to jobs.

“If people are being serious that they want to see that community getting some services, they have to stop kicking this can down the street; we’re now at the end of the line.”

Ward colleague Andrew Spowart said: “The key point for me is connectivity and it’s disappointing that a first- class community in Plains is being offered a second-class option.

“It’s over to the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland to find the money.”

Calling Plains “a great wee community”, fellow Airdrie North member Councillor Coyle of the SNP said: “We need to question these costs, which seem very extreme and very high. I don’t know what they’re planning to build, but I think it’s very exaggerated.”

Opposition group leader David Stocks, the Airdrie Central councillor, said: “I feel disappointed about the political football description – this council turned it into that.

“If it’s a Scottish Government issue, tell that to [neighbouring] West Lothian, who went in from the start looking for and being able to get an extra station. The council should have been in from the start, not dragged kicking and screaming.”

Alex Neil, the Airdrie & Shotts MSP, had criticised the report’s estimate of the new station cost and told the Advertiser: “That’s the key issue. The council can’t abdicate responsibility; where there have been new stations throughout Scotland, it needs councils to make a contribution which levers more funding. A sum like £18m would be very hard to find, but £ 3m would be more achievable.”