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Great British Railway plan ‘could change a lot’ for plans to re-open rail lines

The Campaign for North-East Rail unveiled its plans for new rail links in Aberdeenshire last month.
The Campaign for North-East Rail unveiled its plans for new rail links in Aberdeenshire last month.

A train driver campaigning to reopen disused railway lines says the newly announced Great British Railways (GBR) plan “could change a lot” for his group’s ambitious proposals.

UK Government Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has revealed details of a huge-shake up of the sector, including the creation of a public sector body to take control from 2023.

The new organisation will absorb Network Rail and will own and manage rail infrastructure, issue contracts to private firms to run trains, set most fares and timetables, and sell tickets.

It has been designed to end the current “blame-game system” between track and train operators.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps

It has sparked a row with the Scottish Government, which earlier this year revealed plans to nationalise train services north of the border by March 2022 and says it was not consulted on the GBR project.

Getting Aberdeenshire back on track

Aberdeen-based train driver Jordan Jack launched the Campaign for North-East Rail (CNER) at the start of April to reopen long-shut stations throughout the north-east that have been closed since the 1960s Beeching cuts.

Mr Jack, the co-chairman of the CNER, put forward the proposals after working together with engineers for on them for six months.

His group seeks to help bring modern train links to Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Banchory, and to see the creation of an integrated bus service from Banchory all the way to Braemar.

A train station at Banchory's Dee Street, 1969. Trains stopped using the platform four years prior.
A train station at Banchory’s Dee Street, 1969. Trains stopped using the platform four years prior.

Prior to the Holyrood elections, the CNER sought support from candidates, and is in the process of trying to get a feasibility study commissioned – however Mr Jack says he is now seeking clarification on precisely what the GBR announcement means for his initiative.

Situation “unclear”

Mr Jack said: “It’s unclear in the documents that have been put out how the announcement today will impact on the future of rail investment.

“Particular surrounding reopenings, there’s not very much mentioned, so we’re going to call on the Scottish transport minister to seek clarification on it.

“In particular, around what it means for the devolved settlement, and what it means for campaigns like ours, and the future of rail transport in the north-east.

“We know there’s cross-party support for rail reopening, we saw that during the campaign and we saw that more widely as well with UK ministers talking about reversing the Beeching cuts, so it could not change much for us, or it could change a lot, we’re seeking clarification on what it will all mean going forward.

“The campaign is going well, we’re contacting our elected representatives who have obviously had a busy couple of weeks, to set up meetings with them and see if we can get a feasibility study commissioned.”