Petition launched to reopen Cove and Newtonhill railway stations

An MSP has launched a petition and sent letters to more than 6,000 residents calling for support to reopen Cove and Newtonhill railway stations.

Liam Kerr^[1] has urged north-east communities to “make their voices heard” by signing the online petition.

The petition states that bringing rail services directly to Cove and Newtonhill would bring “enormous benefits” by improving connectivity and helping to reduce congestion on routes including the A90, A92 and Wellington Road.

Mr Kerr, whose campaign has received the backing from Cove Rangers chairman Keith Moorhouse, has also sent letters to thousands of residents in Cove, Newtonhill, Chapelton and Muchalls to drum up local support on the issue.

Both stations closed in 1956, and in 2020, Transport Scotland issued £80,000 of funding to Nestrans to conduct a feasibility study into the reopening of both platforms.

But Aberdeen-based transport minister Kevin Stewart^[2], who quit the role earlier this month, said the plans did not feature in the SNP-Green government’s investment programme.

The decision was taken despite 95 per cent of Cove residents and 90 per cent of Newtonhill residents saying they would like to see a station in their area following a Nestrans study of the Aberdeen to Laurencekirk corridor.

Mr Kerr said: “With the help of the huge community support we have for reopening both Cove and Newtonhill, I want to collect as many signatures as possible to show the Scottish Government^[3] 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.”

Mr Kerr said the north-east is being left behind by the Scottish Government which is spending £116 million on the Levenmouth Rail Link project and spent £42 million on the new Inverness Airport station and £20 million on reopening Reston station in the Borders last year.

He added: “Cove and Newtonhill urgently need and deserve these stations to connect residents with the jobs, education and leisure opportunities that will make these communities an even greater place to live and work.

“I will continue fighting to reopen Cove and Newtonhill stations and I hope to present the petition in parliament later this year to underline the pressing need for this to be done.”

References

1. ^{^} Liam Kerr (www.scotsman.com)
2. ^{^} Kevin Stewart (www.scotsman.com)
3. ^{^} Scottish Government (www.scotsman.com)