Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Plains station would be just the ticket
Councillors support rail stop concept
The debate over a railway station for Plains was again discussed at North Lanarkshire Council’s latest meeting – with all parties agreeing that they “unequivocally support the provision of a train station” in the village, while again dividing over where responsibility lies.
Airdrie North councillor David Cullen and Conservative colleague Trevor Douglas, of Airdrie Central, called for “the Scottish Government to undertake a feasibility study for such provision and provide clear guidance to the people of Plains on their plans for such a provision in terms of cost and timescale.”
Their motion was successful after gaining the support of Labour and independent members as well as their own group.
SNP members also reiterated their support for a new station to be added on the Airdrie to Bathgate line – but voted for an amendment from Airdrie North representative Sophia Coyle and group leader David Stocks saying that a 2017 transport appraisal “grossly exaggerated the estimated cost of the new station”.
The party instead requested that “North Lanarkshire Council commission an independent assessment of the true costs; [and] on the basis of that assessment we submit an application to the Scottish Government and Network Rail for the go-ahead to build a new railway station.”
Councillor Cullen said of the reopening of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link nearly eight years ago: “The original concept was one station would be provided in both North Lanarkshire and West Lothian [at Caldercruix and Armadale].
“This was turned on its head when, following a campaign by local residents, an additional station costing £ 5 million was provided at Blackridge. There was no such reciprocation in North Lanarkshire, effectively leaving Plains as the only unconnected community on the line.”
He added: “The Scottish Government has continually played political ping-pong with this issue and sought to lay the blame at the door of North Lanarkshire Council.
“Let’s be clear; this is a strategic transport issue and is solely the responsibility of Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government.”
An independent Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance ( STAG) report produced in February 2017 concluded against building a station in Plains “partly on environmental and economic grounds, but more significantly on grounds of risk, uncertainty and implementability”.
It placed the price of a station at £8-11 million, and a majority of councillors voted in favour of its recommendation to improve bus services for the village – ending the prospect of the local authority making an application to the Scottish stations fund.
SNP councillors queried its estimated cost of a station at Plains, with Councillor Coyle asking for a reassessment of the figure and Airdrie MSP Alex Neil calling it “deliberately inflated”.
Former transport minister Humza Yousaf – since succeeded in the post by Michael Matheson following last month’s Holyrood government reshuffle – had described the council as “promoters of the scheme for a new rail station for Plains” in a parliamentary answer to Graham Simpson MSP in April.
The Central Scotland member had asked “whether the Scottish Government plans to provide a station” and was told that, following an independent Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance report, “the council’s recommendation was to take forward more detailed work on options for a bus statutory quality partnership and not to progress a railway option”.