From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Under Scottish Executive funding and to relieve congestion on the Forth Railway Bridge the line between Stirling and Alloa is being reopened to passenger traffic. [1] Construction work started in 2005, with tracklaying commencing at the end of September 2006.
It is projected that the line will reopen to passenger traffic in mid-2007, as an extension of the Croy Line services beyond Stirling.
The line between Alloa and Kincardine is also being rebuilt to allow coal trains from Hunterston Ore Terminal, for example, to Longannet Power Station to avoid using the Forth Railway Bridge. It is hoped this will also serve as a more direct route.
The line will use the formation of the former Stirling and Dunfermline Railway between Stirling and Alloa, and the Kincardine Line between Alloa and Dunfermline along the north shore of the River Forth past Longannet Power Station.
A deviation to the north to avoid the villages of Clackmannan and Kincardine[2] was rejected as it would have cost many times as much as reopening the existing route. It would have used part of the Alloa to Dunfermline route, currently used as a cycle track and footpath, but would have required a tunnel in unknown and possibly problematic conditions in order to reach Longannet, and would have removed the possibility of providing stations at either Clackmannan or Kincardine in the future.
Adhering to the original route provides the possibility at a future date of providing passenger services to Dunfermline, and some of the intermediate communities such as Clackmannan, Kincardine, Culross, Valleyfield or Cairneyhill. The direct route from Alloa to Dunfermline is now partly obstructed by developments on the site of the old Dunfermline Upper station, and in particular there is no prospect of access to the existing Dunfermline Town (formerly Dunfermline Lower) station by that route, however the Kincardine line gives direct access to Dunfermline Town.
There has been some discussion of the possibility of providing a service to Rosyth Ferry Terminal. This may well happen eventually as it would seem that almost all of the necessary infrastructure is in place, albeit probably not currently maintained to the standards required for passenger operations. A new station within the ferry terminal area would be required, and trains would need to reverse at Dunfermline, although that would probably be beneficial in increasing passenger numbers.
[edit] References
- ^ Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine re-opening Web Site
- ^ Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine Route Re-Opening Bogside Alignment Option Appraisal
| Main lines: |
East Coast - West Coast - Ayrshire Coast - Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Carstairs) - Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Falkirk) - Edinburgh-Aberdeen - Glasgow South Western - Highland |
|
Glasgow commuter
lines: |
█ Argyle - █ Ayrshire Coast - █ Cathcart Circle - █ Croy - █ Cumbernauld - █ Inverclyde - █ Maryhill - █ Motherwell-Cumbernauld - █ North Clyde - █ Paisley Canal - █ Shotts - █ South Western - █ Whifflet |
|
Edinburgh commuter
lines: |
█ Bathgate - █ Crossrail - █ Dunblane - █ Fife Circle - █ North Berwick - █ Shotts |
|
| Rural lines: |
Aberdeen-Inverness - Far North - Kyle of Lochalsh - Tay Coast - West Highland |
|
| Future lines: |
Waverley - Airdrie to Bathgate - Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Rail Link - Edinburgh Airport Rail Link - Glasgow Airport Rail Link - Glasgow Crossrail - Aberdeen Crossrail |
|
| Historical Scottish Railway Companies: |
Aberdeen Railway - Alloa Railway - Arbroath and Forfar - Ardrossan Railway - Annbank to Cronberry - Ayr and Dalmellington - Ayr to Mauchline - Ayrshire and Wigtownshire - Ballochney - Bathgate and Coatbridge - Brechin and Edzell District - Bridge of Weir Railway - Busby Railway - Caledonian Railway - Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction - Callander and Oban - Cathcart District - City Union - Clydesdale Junction - Crieff & Methven - Crieff Junction - Crieff and Comrie - Darvel Branch - Denburn Valley Line - Duke of Sutherland - Dunblane, Doune & Callander - Dundee and Arbroath - Dundee and Perth - Formartine and Buchan - Edinburgh and Dalkeith - Edinburgh and Glasgow - Edinburgh and Hawick - Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction - Forfar and Brechin - General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour - Girvan and Portpatrick Junction - Glasgow and Garnkirk - Glasgow and Paisley Joint - Glasgow and Renfrew District - Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint - Glasgow Central Railway - Glasgow City and District - Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh - Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle - Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr - Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock - Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank - Great North of Scotland - Greenock and Ayrshire - Greenock and Wemyss Bay - Invergarry and Fort Augustus - Inverness and Aberdeen Junction - Inverness and Nairn - Inverness and Ross-shire - Kilbarchan Loop - Killin Railway - Kilmarnock and Troon - Kincardine Line - Lanarkshire and Ayrshire - Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire - Leadhills and Wanlockhead - Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie - Maidens and Dunure - Mallaig Extension - Monkland and Kirkintilloch - Morayshire Railway - North British, Arbroath and Montrose - Paisley and Barrhead District - Paisley and Renfrew - Perth, Almond Valley & Methven - Polloc and Govan - Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint - Rutherglen and Coatbridge - Slamannan - Scottish Central Railway - Scottish Midland Junction - Stirling and Dunfermline - Sutherland and Caithness - Sutherland Railway - West Highland Railway - Wick and Lybster - Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness - Wishaw and Coltness Railway |
