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Truck and Track Summer 2019 46
RAILFREIGHT
NetworkRail has appointedBAMNuttall as themaincontractor
for the construction of the new Kintore station.
The £14.5m station will reconnect Kintore to the rail network for
the first time in 56 years.
Fundedby Transport Scotland, AberdeenshireCouncil andNestrans,
the new station will have step-free access between platforms
through a footbridge with lifts.
Providing an interchange between rail and road, the station will
have around 170 car parking spaces, bike storage and connection
into the local bus network.
The station will be constructed over the next 12 months and is due
to enter service inMay 2020. All Aberdeen-Inverness trains will call
at the station.
The original Kintore station opened in 1854, but closed in 1964 as
part of the Beeching cuts.
Reopening Kintore has been made possible by the double-tracking
of the line between Aberdeen-Inverurie delivered as part of the
Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project.
Funded by the Scottish Government, the Aberdeen-Inverness
Improvement Project will reduce journey times and increase
capacity on the route between the two cities.
The benefits of the project for ScotRail customers include:
■■More services between Elgin and Inverness, increasing during
2019 until there is an hourly service all day, providing 1,300
additional seats.
■■A half-hourly service all day between Inverurie and Aberdeen
with extra services at peak times, providing 3,000 additional
seats each day.
■■Additional Elgin-Aberdeen early morning and late evening
services.
■■InterCity trains operating between Aberdeen and Inverness,
providing an extra 1,400 each day between the two cities.
■■A new direct service between Inverurie and Montrose, reducing
the need to change in Aberdeen.
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure
and Connectivity, said: “This Scottish Government is committed
to improving rail links across the country and this latest contract
award is a milestone in doing so for people in the North East of
Scotland.
“Our continued rail investment is providing new infrastructure,
improved rolling stock, increased capacity and the enhanced
timetables to deliver more services on the Aberdeen to Inverness
route. This will make rail a more attractive travel choice, helping to
encourage more people out of their cars and onto trains.”
Peter Argyle, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure
Services Committee and Chair of Regional Transport Partnership
Nestrans, said: “Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans have worked
closely with Transport Scotland and the rail industry to secure this
key investment in our regional transport infrastructure. We are
pleased to see this important milestone reached, in order to secure
the long waited for benefits for the community of Kintore and
surrounding area.”
Graeme Stewart, Network Rail Senior Sponsor, said: “The new
Kintore station will reconnect the local community to the rail
network for the first time in nearly six decades.
“BAM Nuttall, as the main contractor on the Aberdeen-Inverness
Improvement Project, is perfectly placed to deliver this new facility
and we look forward to working closely with them to complete the
work as quickly as possible.”
BAMNuttall awarded new
Kintore station contract
Artist’s impression the new Kintore station
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