South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth has raised the possibility of the re-opening Beattock Train Station in the Scottish Parliament.
During a debate on Scotland’s Railway Colin Smyth said that the Beattock Station Action Group had demonstrated the demand for rail services, especially to commute, to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Carlisle and further afield.
The proposal to re-open Beattock Station is currently progressing through the Pre-Pipeline Process which all strategic rail projects must complete. Consultations were carried out earlier this year to complete the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) Part 2, which creates an Options Appraisal Report. The Report will be considered by the South West Scotland Transport Partnership (SWESTRANs) later this month.
Beattock Train Station was in operation from 1847 until it was closed in September 1972 during the West Coast mainline electrification.
Speaking during the debate Colin Smyth said, “There is a campaign to reopen Beattock station on the west coast main line, which highlights the demand for commuter services to Carlisle and Glasgow and Edinburgh from the area. There are plenty of passenger trains that travel along the west coast main line—the issue is that more trains pass through Lockerbie without stopping than actually stop there.”
Commenting after the debate Colin Smyth said, “The Beattock Station Action Group have demonstrated the demand from residents for the station to be re-opened. The re-opening of Beattock Station with more commuter services on the line would allow residents to travel to Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh within an hour for work and study. The Action Group have very detailed plans and have secured ownership of the land adjacent to the West Coast mainline so that a bus link and car parking could be facilitated. Beattock Station is also located closely to the M74 which makes it an attractive location for a strategic transport hub for goods transportation which would help to grow the local economy.”
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