A campaign to re-establish vital rail connections across the North-east of Scotland has garnered unanimous cross-party backing during a recent election debate hosted by the Press and Journal.
Representatives from Labour, Reform UK, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Scottish Greens, and Conservative parties, participating in a special audience edition of The Stooshie podcast, identified enhanced rail infrastructure as a top priority for regional prosperity ahead of the Holyrood elections.
Jordan Jack, General Secretary of the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER), emphasised the progress made in substantiating the case for rail investment.
“The election in 2026 is very different from the election we faced in 2021, we have done the studies, the groundwork is laid, and we have the evidence,” he stated.
Jack underscored the opportunity for incoming politicians to enact significant improvements for North-east residents, contingent on their commitment to advancing these projects.
“Our elected politicians will have the opportunity to make living in the North-east significantly better over their time in office, should they bring the political will to push these projects ahead with them into parliament,” he added.
This political alignment follows recent polling commissioned by the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) and True North Advisors, which revealed substantial public appetite for reopening key North-east rail routes.
A survey of over 1,300 individuals across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire indicated that more than three-quarters support new rail links from Aberdeen to Ellon, Peterhead, and Fraserburgh. Specifically, 78% of respondents backed the reopening of lines to Ellon and Peterhead, with 76% supporting the reconnection of Fraserburgh.
The findings build on a roundtable event organised by the AGCC last summer, which convened major stakeholders to discuss the future of rail in the region. During this event, Jordan Jack outlined “four keys” to unlock the region’s renewable energy potential, currently constrained by “four locks”.
Among the proposed solutions, Jack highlighted the benefits of reopening stations at Cove and Newtonhill, drawing parallels with Dyce’s population size and industrial location, particularly its proximity to the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ).
The ETZ aims to establish the North-east as a global leader in energy transition, focusing on hydrogen, offshore wind, and carbon capture and storage. Jack commented, “As we see it, Cove Bay would be the perfect station for the south of the city and for this new industry that’s coming.”
Further proposals include improving the railway line between Aberdeen and Inverness to reduce journey times to under two hours, which Jack claimed would make it “45 minutes faster than driving.” This enhancement would also allow train drivers to complete two return trips within a single day, a feat currently impractical due to existing journey durations and break requirements.
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Current train journeys between Aberdeen and Inverness typically range from 2 hours 8 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, with car travel taking approximately 2 hours 11 minutes.
The third and fourth “keys” presented by Jack involve the reopening of platform 8 at Aberdeen station and the reinstatement of the Buchan line. The Buchan line, historically closed to passengers in the 1960s and freight by 1979, served communities like Peterhead and Fraserburgh, which are notably among the largest towns in the UK without direct rail access.
Jack argued for the significant freight opportunities, stating: “There’s a bounty of freight up here which is perfectly suited to rail. It’s large quantities, it’s long distance and it’s frequent.” He estimated that existing freight alone could account for “36 million lorry kilometers every year,” with carbon capture and storage freight also poised to benefit considerably from rail improvements.
