Newburgh rail supporters want ‘budget’ train station to keep campaign on the rails

A budget “flat pack” train station is all Newburgh needs to connect the Fife town to the rail network, according to a veteran campaigner.

Nigel Mullan is a longstanding member of the Newburgh Train Station Group.

And with the town tantalisingly close to securing a platform for passengers, he is backing what he sees as the most realistic option.

“It’s railway Ikea comes to Newburgh,” he says.

“It’s not like we want bells and whistles and the crown jewels.”

Do you really get flat pack railway stations?

Well, almost.

They are really called ‘modular’ stations.

Component parts are constructed off site and then assembled by workers.

The parts are lightweight and can be out together without heavy machinery.

Transport and engineering consultants Systra says assembly can also go ahead with minimal disruption to train services.

Systra has recommended either a permanent station at Abernethy Road or a ‘temporary’ prefab platform like this one at Conon Bridge in the Highlands.

The price difference between the two options is considerable.

A permanent station has been estimated to cost in the region of £8 million.

But a modular station like the one at Conon Bridge would come in at around £600,000.

So what are they waiting for?

The detailed options appraisal was published in June last year.

But transport bosses are still unable to say when the new rail station at Newburgh will be built.

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said officials were waiting for feedback from the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran).

“They do need a kick up the backside,” says Nigel.

He questioned why Transport Scotland officials only sent comments to SEStran in February this year – seven months after the detailed appraisal.

“It is so tediously slow.

“This needs to to wrapped up.”

In the meantime, he says people in Newburgh just want to see “anything that gets a train to stop”.

He adds: “There’s a very good business case to be made for the presence of a station at Newburgh.

“We need something basic and functional so people can get on and off trains.

“And something that could be done quite quickly and at significantly lower cost than the kind of silly money that people like to throw around.

“It just seems a no-brainer.”