Refurbished railway station reopens 56 years after closure by Beeching
An Aberdeenshire railway station has reopened after being closed for 56 years.
The newly refurbished £14.5 million Kintore station has two platforms ,168 parking spaces -24 of which have electric vehicle charging portsand bike storage, and is fully accessible.
Connected to the local bus network, the station also links into the Inv er uri e-Kin tor e cycle path.
The new station will be served by up to 28 Scot rail trains each day-including refurbished high-speed Inter7City trains.
Customers will benefit from a half-hourly service at peak times Monday to Saturday, and an hourly service on Sundays.
Funded by Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans, the new station reconnects Kintore to rail for the first time since 1964 when the original 1854-built station closed as part of the Beeching cuts.
Elements of the original station, including heritage benches and salvaged signs, have been reincorporated into the new facility.
Reopening Kintore has been made possible by the recently completed Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project which doubled the track between Aberdeen and Inverurie - increasing capacity for new passenger and freight services on the route.
Kris Kinnear, Network Rail Scotland' s capital delivery director, said :" We' re committed to working alongside the Scottish Government to open up our railway to as many communities as possible across Scotland.
"This station will create new social and economic opportunities for people in Kintore and we are pleased to have been able to deliver the new facility for the town.
"The north-east' s rail network has benefited from significant investment over the last five years to increase capacity and create more flexible journeys for passengers."
David Simpson, S cot Rail operations director, said: "It's fantastic to see trains call at the station for the first time in almost 60 years. Customers in Kintore can now benefit from a fast and frequent service to Aberdeen and Inverness, which will be transformational." Nissar Mohammed, BAM Nut tall operations director rail, said: "The opening of Kintore station is one of the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.”