Move to give voice to station with no name

‘Awkward silence’ on trains to end

For 42 years it was a ghost station but now it is a “ghostly voice” that greets passengers to Laurencekirk.

ScotRail has been told to update onboard announcements which fall silent when the train arrives at the Mearns station. The automated announcement at Laurencekirk currently states: “We are now approaching ...” before a deathly silence is heard.

Clint Eastwood was famously the Man with No Name but ScotRail will now ensure Laurencekirk is no longer The Station with No Name.

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: “The on-board announcement problem with Laurencekirk has only recently been brought to our attention.

“We are in contact with the external company responsible for recording our on-board audio announcements and are working with them to rectify this issue as a matter of priority. We hope to have the on-board announcements updated by the December timetable change.”

MSP Mark McDonald brought what he called an “awkward silence” to ScotRail’s attention after a recent journey.

He said: “Laurencekirk station has been open for years and yet they still haven’t updated the automated announcement on the trains to include it. I’ve never been on a train yet where the automated announcement mentions Laurencekirk station.”

The B-listed stone building at Laurencekirk was built in 1848. The line joined the North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway north of Montrose at Kinnaber Junction and Arbroath and Forfar Railway at the triangular junctions at Friockheim and Guthrie.

It was closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching cuts.

The station reopened at a cost of £3.9 million in May 2009, after a 15-year campaign to reintroduce rail travel and usage has continued to increase.

Laurence– kirk station has been open for years and yet they still haven’t updated the automated announce– ment to include it.

MARK MCDONALD

‘We are now approaching ...’: Laurencekirk Station reopened in 2009.