38 trains run through our town each day...
Not one stops here ...yet
A rail service for Newburgh will not only mean shorter journey times and better connectivity, it will be the catalyst for revitalising our town, letting us engage with and contribute to the economy of North Fife and the rest of Scotland
January 2024
Local MP to speak to Transport Minister about Newburgh station
Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, recently met campaign supporters at the Lindores Abbey Distillery to provide an update on her forthcoming meeting with the Minister for Rail Huw Merriman to discuss what support may be available from the UK Government for the Newburgh Railway Station re-instatement.
Read more in the Dundee Courier article below
A station really is a good thing...
A reopened Newburgh station will be the start of a new journey in every sense.
It will provide us with the means to connect to work and education opportunities further afield and to make these journeys in faster time. Health visits and just getting around Fife will be very much quicker and easier.
A station will be the catalyst for revitalising our town and surrounding areas, bringing in new businesses and visitors. Being connected means that we can make a greater contribution to the Scottish economy.
Having a station means drivers can choose to leave their car at home and journey by rail - a strong contribution to a better environment.
Being connected by rail just has very sound benefits, not just for Newburgh and North Fife but for all of Scotland.
Is there a good case?
We believe there are strong social and commercial reasons for reconnecting Newburgh to the railway
Tourism
Newburgh is at the end (or start) of the increasingly popular Fife Coastal path. Why are we making it difficult for walkers finishing at Newburgh to get back home? On Sunday there are no buses to the nearest station at all and just four going to Perth.
30K visitors came from all over the UK and the world to the Lindores Abbey and Visitors' Centre a recently opened attraction in Newburgh. None came by rail. Many said they would if they could. Tourism is certainly an area of opportunity and growth, alongside wider economic development in the area. A rail connection is vital to achieve this.
Job opportunities
Without a car, the job horizon shrinks. How far away from Newburgh can you look for work, be able to get there and get back in reasonable time (if at all)? Poor public transport limits the ambition to find better work, further afield. Especially, in the major urban centres driving the Scottish economy.
Lengthy and convoluted journeys by current public transport services hamper this for Newburgh and the surrounding area.
Health visits
Getting to and from health centres can be arduous for some. Local buses are not always kind to passengers with mobility issues. Access to hospitals in Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Dundee would benefit from a rail connection. and to the Perth Royal Infirmary, especially during the evening for hospital visits.
Inward investment
Newburgh is a good place to live and could be a great place to work. But without decent public transport will businesses be attracted to the town? Will new housing be built? Newburgh needs to be fully connected to the rest of Scotland to make it an attractive place to do business.
Education opportunities
Without a car it can be difficult taking advantage of educational opportunities in Fife and beyond. For younger people getting home at night is difficult. Attending night courses is pretty well impossible. full education and training opportunities is a right for all people of all ages.
The environment
The Scottish Government is committed to making rail transport carbon-free by 2035 and to achieve a significant modal shift away from car to public transport journeys. But this is rather offset by communities like ours often having to rely on cars for travel - cars being one of the biggest contributors to global warming!
New stations don't cost the earth
The UK rail industry is increasingly adopting cost-effective, easy-to-assemble modular design techniques for new infrastructure projects across the network, including the building of new stations. This modern, adaptable construction method is very suited to building inexpensive smaller stations.
The benefits of modular design
Modular stations are not built, but assembled. Pre-built, factory components are shipped mostly by road and put together in situ without needing teams of specialists. The transport needed to ship assembled components to site is far less than delivering a constant feed of building material. Less road transport means less disruption and less impact to the environment. Some newer modular designs now include recycled material.
Modular platforms are far cheaper than traditional designs; they can be assembled and deployed quickly; and they can shortened or lengthened depending on passenger traffic.
We believe modular solutions are the right option for building a new Newburgh station.
Castle Bar Park Station, London - a recently built, carriage-length modular platform. It was assembled without rail disruption.
The voices of Newburgh
Robust opinions on the state of public transport serving Newburgh and and what a train station means to people
Where things stand
The Newburgh Train Station Campaign has strong community support in Newburgh, Abernethy and surrounding areas. It has cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament.
SETran* in partnership with Fife Council are strongly backing our campaign - providing welcomed administration of funds and overall governance. The campaign has also generated keen interest from a number of other professional organisations.
A professionally conducted assessment of Newburgh's public transport needs concluded last year. The £82,000 STAG* report concluded that a new rail station, set against improved bus services and car sharing, was the most cost-effective way of improving transport connectivity.
We await the Government response.
*The Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance or STAG provides a framework for assessing evidence-based transport problems and opportunities. It emphasises objective-led, evidence-based analysis.
Our campaign is powered by the people of Newburgh
Last year, a survey about the local transport issues was sent to Newburgh residents. There were some 560 replies, around one in four people. Some respondents simply expressed a sense of frustration at the state of the roads and bus services. There were a few who felt an improved bus service might do it. But the majority expressed a clear view that the town needs a rail station for all manner of reasons.
In June of this year, over 80 people from the nearby town of Abernethy and surrounding areas attended a campaign meeting at Lindores Distillery. The campaign has been gathering pass ever since.
In a recent question and answer session in the Scottish Parliament with local politicians, the Transport Minister, Fiona Hyslop acknowledged this strong community support for a reopened Newburgh station.