Petition launched to reopen Cove and Newtonhill railway stations

A petition has been launched and thousands of letters sent out to residents calling for support to reopen Cove and Newtonhill rail stations.

The north-east has been branded Scotland’s “forgotten rail region” in a row over the lack of priority given to taking the proposals forward.

The stations closed in 1956 but a campaign has gathered pace in recent years to see them reopened.

An online petition launched on Thursday to drum up support and letters have been sent out to more than 6,000 residents in these communities.

It states that bringing rail services directly to these stations would bring “enormous benefits” by improving connectivity and helping to reduce traffic congestion.

North East Tory MSP Liam Kerr, who created the petition, said: “I want to collect as many signatures as possible to show the Scottish Government that they are wrong to abandon these proposals.

“I also hope to reach as many households as possible through letters to drum up support among residents who don’t have online access.

“It has been 66 years since we had trains calling at Cove and Newtonhill, and I want the SNP-Green government to realise that closing these stops was a mistake.

“There is a fundamental need to have these stations in place to cope with the substantial increase in population to the south of Aberdeen and to allow residents to travel to places without the need of a car.”

Government agency Transport Scotland awarded £80,000 to regional body Nestrans to look at the wider “travel corridor” between Aberdeen and Laurencekirk.

Former transport minister Kevin Stewart, who quit the role earlier this month for mental health reasons, said the plans did not feature in the SNP-Green’s investment programme.

A new station was recently opened in Inverness, and in Reston in the Borders, while work has started to create new stations in East Lothian and in Leven and Cameron Bridge in Fife.

‘No final conclusion’

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Although new railway stations at Cove and Newtonhill do not feature in the Scottish Government’s current investment programme, we are committed to on-going improvements to rail services and connectivity.

“Projects will be considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability and other competing proposals.

“Nestrans received funding from Transport Scotland’s Local Rail Development Fund to undertake a transport appraisal which examines all transport modes to determine the most appropriate solutions to the travel corridor between Laurencekirk and Aberdeen.

“The appraisal is considering a number of options, including stations at Cove and Newtonhill. The appraisal is still ongoing and no final conclusion has been made at this time.”

The petition, which has now launched, can be signed here.