Call for Newburgh Station to re-open

Feb 26 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Call for Newburgh Station to re-open

FOR decades, the North Fife community of Newburgh has been calling for the reinstatement of its rail halt on the Perth-Edinburgh line.

Even the voice of local authorities in Scotland, COSLA, concluded in its 2002 contribution to the development of a Transport Delivery Plan for Scotland that a new station was required for Newburgh.

Now two Fife Conservatives are adding their voice to this long-running and to date unsuccessful campaign.

Ted Brocklebank, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, and Miles Briggs, Conservative MP candidate for North East Fife, have welcomed the news that SESTran (South East of Scotland Transport Partnership) have suggested to Transport Scotland that the Newburgh halt should be added to Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects.

Mr Brocklebank said: “Miles Briggs and I have both campaigned for some time for a thought feasibility study into re-opening the Newburgh halt. I look forward to a positive outcome, particularly in view of the successful reopening of the Laurencekirk Station in Aberdeenshire which has many similarities with Newburgh.”

Miles Briggs, Conservative MP candidate for North East Fife, added: “I am delighted SESTran have moved to ask for the Newburgh halt to be added to Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects list.

“Many local people in Newburgh have told me they support the campaign to re-open the Newburgh halt. I believe its reopening would bring a number of benefits to the local area. Not only would Newburgh itself benefit, but also the many outlying communities.”

Mrs Irene Cumming, secretary of Newburgh Community Council, stressed that local people had been pressing for it for well over 20 years.

The original Newburgh halt was in the centre of the town but was latterly on its western edge, the former station buildings are still standing although in a dilapidated state.