A new rail link connecting Aberdeen to Fraserburgh via Peterhead would deliver a north-east economic boom and reduce fatal accidents on one of Scotland’s deadliest roads, a key study has found.
The findings come hot on the heels of the opening of the Levenmouth rail link, following a multi-million-pound Scottish Government investment – leaving Peterhead and Fraserburgh as the two largest towns in the UK furthest from the rail network.
Commissioned by the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) and the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC), the report also found the link could support the just transition and new jobs.
The Buchan Sustainable Transport Study sets out options for a new rail line which would help address economic inequality in the region’s most deprived communities in Peterhead and Fraserburgh with business leaders backing the proposal to extend the East Coast line to both towns.
Through data analysis and surveys with hundreds of residents, the report produced evidence of stifled investment and job opportunities, alongside reduced access to healthcare, due to limited public transport and unreliable commuting times.
The link could significantly improve economic fortunes, according to the report, increasing the labour market for the region by 65%. Similarly, the line would open up a 40% increase in job opportunities elsewhere for residents of Fraserburgh, Peterhead and their surrounds.
Currently, commuters to Aberdeen need to use the A90 (N) / A952, statistically one of the deadliest single carriageways in Scotland. The report found that opening the new link could reduce 75% of serious or fatal accidents on the road and support Scottish Government goals to prevent these outright by 2050.
The preferred line would support the region’s wider economic strategy by facilitating opportunities in net zero as well as decarbonising transport in the shift from road to rail.
It would include the option for a freight link to St Fergus providing transport to the multi-billion-pound Acorn carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen development at St Fergus, while the wider line could connect workers to renewable energy opportunities centred around ports and harbours across the region.
Buchan’s existing long-term industries such as food, drink and tourism would also benefit, with fishing and seafood processing key sectors in Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
The preferred option consists of a new passenger and freight rail line created between Dyce and Fraserburgh via Peterhead, including a mix of reinstated track and new alignment.
It would serve passengers with stops at Dyce, Newmachar, Ellon and Cruden Bay with potential for new alignment to be created for a stop at Pitmedden. Alongside options for two freight spurs at Ellon and Peterhead with the possibility of a third at St Fergus.
The cost of the project would be determined through a follow-up detailed options appraisal, which campaigners are now calling on government to bring forward.
Funded through the Scottish Government Just Transition Fund, the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was carried out by infrastructure and professional services consultancies AECOM and Stantec for CNER and AGCC.
Jordan Jack, General Secretary of CNER, said:
"This study has shown us that extending the East Coast Line northwards and maintaining the Formartine and Buchan Way as a cycle path is feasible and would be transformative for North-east Scotland.
“Evidence from this report underlines what locals live and experience every day: poor transport links are stifling our potential, damaging access to healthcare, and limiting job opportunities in the region.
“As this report attests, parts of Fraserburgh and Peterhead are among the most deprived settlements in Aberdeenshire, and reconnection to the rail network will drastically improve people's economic fortunes, health outcomes, education and social inclusion."
Russell Borthwick, Chief Executive of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said:
“This report demonstrates the art of the possible. Communities in the Borders and now Fife have been successfully reconnected to the rail network. So what’s next? This report contains the compelling answer. The next project should be right here in Aberdeenshire with Peterhead and Fraserburgh now being the two largest towns in the UK furthest from the rail network.
“The project was funded by Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund and the findings which provide clear evidence of social, health and safety - as well as economic - benefits which will be significant factors in delivering a Just Transition for the people and communities of the North-east.
“Additionally a railway carrying both people and freight can turbocharge our regional economic and sector diversification strategies supporting the energy transition as well as established industries in the area such as tourism and food, drink, agriculture and fisheries.
“It would enable the decarbonisation of our transport systems by enabling a shift from road to rail, cut accidents on the region’s roads by 75% and drastically reduce emissions from passenger travel and the movement of goods.
“I urge all key decisionmakers and political representatives to get behind this vast opportunity for our region.”