Trains could soon be pulling to a stop in Newtonhill for the first time in more than 60 years — but what do locals think of the plans for a new station?
The community’s railway station was closed in 1956, alongside dozens of others across the north-east.
But, earlier this year, Nestrans revealed significant proposals to reconnect Newtonhill and Cove to the wider north-east rail network, meaning trains would finally be able to pick up passengers in Newtonhill once more.
The regional transport body announced this could mean two brand new stations, estimated to cost £20 million each.
And now, a public consultation is under way, asking for feedback on the multi-million-pound proposals.
I wanted to find out what locals thought about the potential new train station in Newtonhill, so went out to ask them.
You might not expect the prospect of a new train station to be such a hot topic, but it certainly was.
Read on to find out:
- How one Newtonhill resident can remember petitions to get the train station reopened more than 25 years ago
- Concerns about the potential loss of a children’s play park for car parking
- Hopes that trains would be the “best thing ever” for Newtonhill, and serve the nearby Chapelton too
- And, how to have your say in the consultation
‘This is the closest we have ever got to it actually happening’, says villager
Once I arrived in Newtonhill I made a beeline for the Skateraw Store, owned by Anna Hall and Jamie Donald.
As Jamie steamed milk and was busy serving customers, Anna told me that trains coming back to Newtonhill have long been discussed by villagers.
She can remember locals petitioning for a station more than 25 years ago.
“People have been talking about it and wanting it to happen since then,” she explained, “but nothing has ever come from it.
“So this is the closest we have ever got to it actually happening — some people are super excited about it, others not so much.
“We’re for the train station because we don’t have a car and rely on the bus or getting lifts from other family members. It would be much more convenient for us, but obviously for the business as well.
“It would be much easier for people to hop on a train and make Newtonhill more of a destination than it currently is.”
I asked if Anna thought it was something the village was missing.
“Definitely,” she replied without hesitation. “We know so many people in the village, customers and friends, who would love it to return.
“And we know quite a few people who rely on buses who would benefit so much.
“There so many reasons why people would want it — whether it’s for work or socialising.”
Chapelton will also benefit from train station
Jamie at Skateraw Store used to work in Dyce and because he relied on public transport his commute from Newtonhill could add four hours to his day.
Although he thinks the buses have improved recently, they have also increased in price quite rapidly.
“You could walk to Portlethen, or even cycle there, and get a train return to Aberdeen cheaper than a bus,” he said.
“It went from £4.50 for a single to over £7 overnight.
“So yeah, you would be willing to pay a bit more for a train to be in town in 10 minutes.
“We’re now talking about Chapelton as well, which potentially there’s going to be 3-4,000 people living up there in the next 20 years — so it would serve both communities.”
Worries about loss of children’s play park
However, Anna did say she’d heard some people were worried that a new train station could result in an “even worse bus service” while others had raised concerns about the proposed £20 million price tag.
But the mum highlighted her own issue, that the children’s play park at the end of Old Mill Road could be demolished to make way for a train station car park.
She explained: “I think it’s terrible that the kids would lose that because the park is really well used, especially by children on that side of the village.
“Even if they only lost a part of it for the essential things, like disabled parking. But, because we walk a lot of places we don’t see the necessity for people to bring their cars.”
Anna did say that people could use the Park and Choose instead, or there was an alternative plan looking at some parking nearby the Bettridge Centre.
She added: “And the idea that in a train station, they’re speaking about a coffee area or a bike stop area where people can get their bikes fixed, or possibly a gift shop.
“We don’t see the necessity for any of that, people have wanted this train station for so long, we just want to be connected. We just want a stop — the most basic thing we can possibly have, we don’t need to have a huge car park.
“Just a platform we can get on, that would be fine.”
Local would rather take the train than drive into Aberdeen
I got chatting to customer Mark McCracken, who told me he is keen to see Newtonhill reconnected.
He used to work in Aberdeen city centre and said that he would never have driven in if a train had been available instead — and even now he would still take a train instead of driving into the Granite City.
Mark went on to say: “I was at Vue cinema on Friday and I parked in Union Square because I just wasn’t sure where I could park that was closer. And how to get to that parking spot without taking a long, convoluted route there?
“We would really be in support of the train station.”
As for the car park concerns, he pointed out that the parking along the railway line is already “bad enough as it is”.
He added: “If they did take away the playpark, there’d need to be an agreement in place to make a new one.”
What do you think about the plans to bring back trains to Newtonhill? Let us know in our comments section below
‘Everybody would look forward to getting a station here’
After wrapping up in my raincoat, I left the cosy coffee shop and made my way to the playpark Anna was talking about.
As I’m walking along the railway line, a train whooshes past.
Michael Jackson was also braving the weather to walk his dog, Spangle. He told me he and his wife moved to Newtonhill over a year ago from Tarland after experiencing more and more issues with public transport — which his wife relies on because she doesn’t drive.
According to Michael, trains should be stopping in the Aberdeenshire village and he would use the service if it was there.
Pointing towards the proposed area he said: “Probably the ideal place would be just over there, but wherever they put it it would be beneficial.
“And with the carry-on with Aberdeen and this LEZ and bus gates — it’s just ridiculous.
“I think everybody would look forward to getting a station here.”
Newtonhill train station would be ‘best thing ever’
As I’m making haste back to my own car, I get speaking to Lyndsay Jarvis who said a train station in Newtonhill would be “the best thing ever”.
She moved to the village 12 years ago with her family and said since then there have been a few petitions — and she has signed every single one in favour of a new station.
Lyndsay commutes to Aberdeen some days and says she would use the train if the service was there.
However, her son who does not drive recently moved to Dundee because he was struggling to get a job while living in Newtonhill.
She went on to say: “It would be such a boon for commuters to just get on the train rather than having to drive somewhere, and I’ve been trying to cut down on my driving.
“The line is right there, there used to be a station but I don’t think they could build it where it used to be because there are a lot of houses there but I’m sure they could find somewhere to put it — and it would make a huge difference to the village.”
Campaigners ‘fighting to make Cove and Newtonhill train stations next’
The Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) has been fighting to bring back Peterhead and Fraserburgh rail links for years, arguing that there’s an “appetite” for train travel across the country — particularly following the success of the Kintore and Laurencekirk stations.
And now, they have thrown their weight behind the proposals to reconnect Cove and Newtonhill.
Jordan Jack, co-founder and spokesman for CNER, told the Press & Journal that both are “perfect candidates” for new stations.
He explained: “Both are home to thousands, both are already on the tracks, and both have local services pass through every hour. We only need to look a few miles northwards to see the impact a new station can have.
“Kintore reopened in 2020 and has since proven to be a great success, notably the train journey has proven to be not only much faster, but cheaper than the equivalent bus ticket.
“These stations will provide round-the-clock access to Aberdeen city, and connections as far as Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London with only one change, without having to head into the city first. Four years on from Kintore, it is time for us to be asking ‘where next?’
“CNER is fighting to make Cove and Newtonhill the answer to that question.”
Jordan is urging locals to participate in the survey to share their views on the proposals and to spread the word about it too.
He finished: “The time is now to be loud and demand that Cove and Newtonhill are Scotland’s next new railway stations.”
How to have your say:
Nestran’s public consultation is running until 5pm on October 29.
You can have your say on the creation of new train stations in Cove and Newtonhill online here.
Or find out more about the study online here.
Read more:
- Could Cove and Newtonhill finally be getting their own train stations?
- Cove Rangers back campaign for new train station to help influx of fans
- 3 years on and 225,000 passenger journeys, has Kintore train station made a difference?
- 15 years and a million train journeys on, has Laurencekirk train station been worth it?
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