Do you want to see passenger and freight railway services from Dyce to Peterhead and Fraserburgh via Ellon and other Aberdeenshire towns reopened? Here’s your chance to have your say.
Members of the public and companies in the region are being asked to share their views on improving transport accessibility and connectivity to and from North-east Aberdeenshire.
Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) and Campaign for North East Rail are now engaged in the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study. The study was awarded grant funding from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund to undertake an appraisal of the strategic transport corridor between Dyce, Ellon, Peterhead and Fraserburgh. This study will focus primarily on longer term interventions including passenger and freight rail links.
A parallel study is being led by Nestrans, the A90(N) / A952 Ellon to Peterhead and Fraserburgh Appraisal is being undertaken as part of the Strategic Transport Appraisal funded by the Aberdeen City Region Deal and will focus primarily on short-to-medium term road interventions.
Although separate pieces of work, the stakeholder engagement and public consultation activities will be undertaken jointly due to the closely linked study areas. It is hoped that by doing so and sharing findings, it will be possible to build a comprehensive and conclusive picture of transport to the north of Aberdeen. Both studies will examine all modes of transport including walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport (bus and rail), private vehicles and freight.
The engagement will see residents, businesses and key stakeholders across the area asked for their feedback. The consultation will run until Thursday 21 December 2023.
Feedback can be provided online. Click the link, scroll to the bottom of the page and select the Resident or Business link as appropriate:
TAKE THE SURVEY
The survey can also be completed over the telephone. Please call 0131 335 4200. Or please email your views directly to NorthEastAppraisals@Stantec.com
A stakeholder drop-in session is also planned on Tuesday 23rd January 2024 from 12.30-19.30 at the Palace Hotel Peterhead. Anyone interested in finding out more or sharing their views about the projects can drop-in at a time which is convenient for them during the day. While the event is a drop-in format, at 1.00pm and 6.30pm there will also be a short presentation of the material by the project team which you are welcome to attend.
The key aim of the session will be to gather information and feedback on transport problems that have been identified to date to ensure there is nothing missing and on the potential options which could help alleviate these. Information on the projects will be made available on display boards and members of the client and project teams will be on hand to discuss key issues and the projects more generally. While the event is a drop-in format, at 18.30, there will also be a short presentation of the material by the project team which you are welcome to attend.
The information collated during the event will be used to inform the future development of the projects and recommendations.
If you wish to attend the event, please email NorthEastAppraisals@stantec.com with details of your name, organisation (if applicable) and likely time you’ll be attending.
Jordan Jack, General Secretary of CNER said: “Problems identified in previous studies as far back as 2016 have not been resolved, journey times, predictability and reliability are still major issues for our communities and businesses, particularly north of Ellon. Residents of Fraserburgh and Peterhead often feel isolated from wider Aberdeenshire and the country at large. Together with the Nestrans study, this consultation gives us the chance to capture the feelings of the community and begin to build an evidence base that can be used to progress solutions our region desperately needs."
Russell Borthwick, Chief Executive of AGCC said: “If we want to see our region’s economy firing on all cylinders, we need better transport links to major centres of industry and commerce such as Peterhead and Fraserburgh, joining up settlements of significant size and population along the way.
“The success of the reinstating the Borders railway and now the Levenmouth project in Fife shows what can be achieved with credible plans, a good business case and public support backed by local business communities. This is not pie in the sky.
“Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is proud to share the vision for reconnecting Buchan to the UK-wide rail network, with the huge potential that brings for shifting freight, for commuters travelling across our region and for attracting more visitors to explore this fantastic corner of Scotland.
“But this isn’t an argument for rail over better and safer roads in the area, we should have the ambition to aim for both. Other regions of Scotland are seeing multi billions of pounds committed to their public transport systems. This can be achieved at a fraction of that amount.
“The work is gathering momentum but, with public funding more challenging than ever, we need to strongly demonstrate the support of the people and businesses in the North-east if our case is to be heard in the Central Belt corridors of power”.