Claims land train would put businesses on right track

A permanent St Andrews land train could put local businesses on the fast track to success, it has been claimed.

A week-long trial of the eye-catching express is about to end, having been undertaken by town centre organisation St Andrews BID.

Introduced last year to showcase the town to visitors during the Open, the ride has been running throughout this week as the BID group considers adopting it permanently.

Carrying up to 60 passengers, the train has been doing a 45-minute loop of the town centre area.

BID manager Rhonda McCrimmon said user numbers from this latest trial would be analysed closely. “It’s been great to see the smiling faces of land train passengers around town,” she said.

“We’re keen to see the data on how many passengers it draws this week – a more typical time of the holiday period than the Open – as it has the potential to help St Andrews businesses in many ways.

“The train can not only provide a visitor attraction to draw people to the town, but also help showcase what the town has to offer, increase footfall and visitor spend, improve the visitor experience, reduce pressure on parking spaces and make the town more accessible for those with mobility difficulties.”

The land train trial has been taking place this week.