Campaign to boost rail services in Perthshire

A national campaign group has set out bold plans to bolster rail services in Perth and Kinross and connections with central Scotland.

Railfuture Scotland, which represents rail users, unveiled a wishlist which included the reopening and creation of railway stations around Perth, Kinross and Tayside, as well as doubling the number of services.

Blackford, Comrie, Crieff, Glenfarg, Stanley, Luncarty, Methven and others would see the re-instatement of lines while places such as Pitlochry would benefit from an enhanced service and connections to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

This, campaigners say, would drive opportunities for environmentally-friendly travel and boost employment.

The full scheme, ‘A Rail Vision for Central Scotland’ was issued to members at a gathering in Falkirk.

Roderick McDougall, vicechair of Railfuture Scotland who authored the report, said: “Whereas it is Network Rail’s job to look after and maintain the existing network and ScotRail’s job to operate passenger trains on it in accordance with their franchise, there appears to be no-one charged with looking at extending and improving the network.

“This is a government responsibility which they are shirking by passing it on to cashstrapped regional transport authorities and local councils without giving them either the authority or the financial ability to fulfil it. It is only pressure groups like ours that are trying to kick start a renaissance in railway improvements.”

Perth and Cowdenbeath, Perth to Laurencekirk via Forfar and branch lines to Callander and Comrie would enable new services.

Railfuture says the proposed service frequencies are in line with the policy to ensure journeys to major employment, social and commercial centres of less than 20 miles have a 15 minute or better train service and those less than 60 miles have a 30 minute or better service.

The move supports local studies and pressure to reinstate lines and stations around Kinrossshire and Perthshire, including at Oudenarde, Kinross and Newburgh in Fife which, if reopened, would boost journey times to Edinburgh and Inverness.

Passengers in Strathearn and Strathallan, while having Gleneagles as one option, often choose to use Dunblane station for frequent mainline services, with some even travelling to Bridge of Allan to board because of cheaper-rate season tickets.

Places such as Blackford have had strong campaigns to reinstate lines, although demands have not been met. In Blackford a bid to reinstate a station, closed for decades, was met with a multimillion pound scheme which improved access and layout at Gleneagles station. Part of the station now forms proposals for rail freight.