£29m funding boon if Aberdeenshire rail stations reopen
A petition launched by North East MSP Liam Kerr last year has received more than 1700 signatures from supportive local residents.
The appeal has been backed by football team Cove Rangers, as well as the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER), which has long urged the Scottish Government to expand rail services to Aberdeenshire.
Kerr said: 'These figures send a strong message to the Scottish Government that reopening both Cove and Newtonhill stations is a no-brainer.
'The huge benefit-cost ratio, as well as the low operational costs, underlines the significant economic opportunities that these stations would unlock, not only for Cove and Newtonhill, but the wider North East region.'
The North East of Scotland has long suffered from poor rail connections ever since the Beeching Cuts of the 1960s, when thousands of miles of train lines were axed.
Campaigners have claimed that Fraserburgh (12,900) and Peterhead (19,800) are the two largest towns in the UK without a direct rail link.
Kerr called on the Scottish Governemn to invest in the project, noting: 'Cove and Newtonhill need new stations to connect residents with the jobs, education and leisure opportunities that will make these communities an even greater place to live and work.
'We know the money is there from the Scottish Government because they opened a new Hairmyres train station last month, but far too often North East rail is being abandoned for other parts of the country.
'However, I'm delighted this report is another major step in the journey to finally reopening Cove and Newtonhill railway stations.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
36 minutes ago
- The National
Kate Forbes: The world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down
It's why we talk about a Team Scotland approach to economic growth – finding solutions, fixing problems and delivering results. The various moving parts of Team Scotland work together to attract, secure and support investment in exciting opportunities. With various public and private sector partners, Team Scotland works together to create momentum. Despite persistent global headwinds, recent data from EY highlighted Scotland's attractiveness to global investment, and comparatively greater resilience in the face of general economic turbulence. EY's data places Scotland firmly as the UK's top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside of London – for the tenth year in a row – while Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow remain among the top six UK cities for FDI projects. Although the total number of new projects in Scotland fell 4.9% from record figures in 2023, that number is marginal compared to a drop of 13% in the rest of the UK, 14% in France and 17% in Germany. READ MORE: Scottish Government announces £23.5 million for active travel programmes Despite a slight dip in the total number of projects in 2024 (135 projects, down from a record 142 in 2023), Scotland's share of overall UK projects actually increased to 15.8% (from 14.4% in 2023). This shows Scotland's relative strength compared to broader declines in FDI across the UK and Europe. EY's survey of global investors found that a quarter of those planning to invest in the UK are targeting Scotland, maintaining the country's long-standing position in investors' eyes as the UK's preferred FDI destination outside of London. I recently visited the Glasgow offices of Canadian IT and business consulting services firm CGI Inc, which employs around 750 people across its Glasgow, Edinburgh, Borders and Aberdeen offices, and has nearly 100,000 employees globally. CGI Inc is one of the many thriving international businesses choosing to call Scotland home. The fascinating ZeroAvia, hailing from the US (and developing full hydrogen-electric aircraft engines), is another new resident, along with the Australian not-for-profit ticketing hub Humanitix, who recently opened an office in Edinburgh. 2025 is bringing further significant investment and exciting projects to Scotland. I realise some may be wondering why this is important, or what Scotland's leading place in FDI means. How does FDI benefit the people of Scotland? FDI plays a crucial role in Scotland's economy, contributing significantly to job creation, economic growth, innovation and exports. Quite simply, foreign-owned companies in Scotland, although representing a smaller percentage of all businesses, have a disproportionately large impact on the economy. READ MORE: Scottish Government launches new 'milestone' plan for disability equality These companies account for a substantial share of employment in Scotland, contributing significantly to job creation. These jobs often offer higher average wages than those in domestically owned businesses. Foreign-owned businesses contribute a disproportionately high percentage to Scotland's Gross Value Added (GVA), indicating that these companies possess high productivity and make an outsized economic impact. Inward investors have outstripped domestic businesses in investing in business research and development spending, which fosters innovation and technological advancement within the nation. These innovators also generate a large portion of the total business turnover in Scotland and become major drivers behind Scottish exports. FDI can bring new skills and management practices, which can 'spill over' and benefit domestic Scottish businesses through supply-chain opportunities, hiring and knowledge sharing. Geopolitical headwinds are clearly affecting investor confidence globally. Scotland's FDI resilience in the face of this crisis of confidence is an incredible endorsement of Scotland as a destination for global investment. Scotland's ability to maintain high project numbers and even increase its share of UK projects comes against a backdrop of a marked decline in FDI across Europe and the UK overall. READ MORE: Scottish Labour drop below Alba and Greens as by-election results called A huge amount of work, across both the private and public sectors, goes into securing these projects, which are vital for economic growth, job creation and bringing benefits across our towns and cities. It's a privilege to work with Team Scotland to secure these global opportunities, and the Scottish Government will continue to work with business partners to build our country's reputation as a world-class location for investment. In this digital and hyper-connected world, the continued pursuit of strategic inward investment will propel Scotland towards being a fairer and more prosperous nation. It's also a sign that investors from abroad don't listen to the relentless whingeing of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament about Scotland. Where the opposition see weakness, international allies see strengths.
The National
41 minutes ago
- The National
Presiding Officer to step down at Holyrood 2026 election
Alison Johnstone has been in the role since 2021 and was the sixth person – and only the second woman – to hold the position. She entered politics in 2007 when she was elected as a Scottish Greens councillor in Edinburgh. READ MORE: Kate Forbes: Numbers prove that the world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down She was then elected as an MSP in 2011, and 10 years later became the first Scottish Greens party member to take up the role of Presiding Officer. Alison Johnstone (Image: PA) Announcing her decision to step down, Johnstone told The Times that "it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood". 'I came from a wholly non-political background and got involved in a campaign to save a school playing field," she said. 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish parliament.' Most recently, Johnstone made headlines after she expelled former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross from the debating chamber after he refused to follow rules. Ross tried to bring the matter up a week later, and was slapped down again after he inferred Johnstone had not acted in a "neutral manner". READ MORE: UK Government 'set to proscribe Palestine Action after RAF protest' Holyrood's Presiding Officer is impartial – when MSPs take up the role, they give up their party affiliation. They are responsible for chairing meetings in the debating chamber, selecting which questions will be asked at First Minister's Questions, as well as chairing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and Parliamentary Bureau meetings. The Presiding Officer is supported by two deputies – currently Annabelle Ewing (SNP) and Liam McArthur (LibDem). According to the Scottish Parliament website, the Presiding Officer receives a salary of £130,500.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Festivals given £3m in Government funding
The events will receive a share of the £2.8 million Festivals Expo Fund, and Festivals Edinburgh will get £200,000 from Creative Scotland for branding and marketing support for the events in the capital. The Expo Fund spending has increased from £1.7 million last year. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will receive £670,000, while the Edinburgh International Book Festival will be given £200,000, the same amount as for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: 'Scotland's festivals are our cultural shopfront to the rest of the world. 'As well as offering performers and creatives an unrivalled international platform, they also deliver an annual economic uplift to businesses, jobs and livelihoods right across the country. 'This year's funding increase for the existing Expo festivals cohort represents an increase of £1 million across the 14 festivals in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first in 10 years. 'It recognises the success of festivals in shaping and supporting hundreds of commissions, enhancing the ambitions of thousands of Scottish artists and attracting audiences in the millions for Expo-supported work since the fund's creation in 2007. 'From this foundation we will expand the reach of the Expo fund across the whole of Scotland, and I am working with festivals across the country through the strategic festivals partnership to realise this commitment.' Dana MacLeod, executive director of arts, communities and inclusion at Creative Scotland, welcomed the funding, saying it will enable festivals to 'commission bold ideas, develop creative collaborations and present high-quality programmes for audiences in Scotland and internationally'. Lori Anderson, director of Festivals Edinburgh, said: 'Today's announcement is welcome news for our festivals and for Scotland's cultural sector, ensuring that the guiding principle of the Scottish Government's Festivals Expo Fund – to showcase Scottish talent to the world on the country's premier festival platforms – continues to successfully support creative careers.'
