New housing in Evanton sparks renewed calls for reinstatement of railway station in the Ross-shire village; Friends of Far North Line convener Ian Budd, and Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone among those in favour
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LONG-running calls to restore rail access to an Easter Ross village will be boosted by new housing and a population jump of hundreds, campaigners believe.
Evanton has had no station since the 1960s, despite the Far North Line continuing to run through it.
Campaigners have long since pushed for a stop to be reinstalled, arguing it would boost transport options for the local community – and provide an alternative to the car at a time when greener travel is becoming increasingly important.
Despite such calls, Transport Scotland has twice refused to allocate money for a possible feasibility study into the proposal.
But plans by the Highland Housing Alliance for 140 new homes in the village – which could see hundreds of residents added to the village's population – look set to re-invigorate the campaign. The housing, which will include 40 affordable properties, was approved by Highland Council last month.
And rail experts and politicians alike are arguing that it will boost the case for a dedicated station.
Ian Budd, the convener of the Friends of the Far North Line, believes that the new housing will "clearly benefit the case for having a station", and added that a growing population means it would "clearly be an advantage for people there to have a station".
But he sounded a note of caution, adding that a new stop would add a little time to existing journeys, and that this meant that the case for a station may rely on long-running calls to reinstall a passing loop on the line at Lentran, between Inverness and Beauly.
Transport campaigners have argued that re-installing a section of former double-track at Lentran would enable trains to pass each other, and improve reliability. At the moment if one train is delayed, the lack of a spot to 'overtake' on that section often leads to knock-on disruption for other services along the line.
He feels there will ultimately be a new passing loop at Lentran, although "it's not known when", but that the two projects would benefit from one another – with a new loop improving the case for a station, and the possibility of opening a station "adding to the logic for a better passing loop at Lentran" that would enable trains to pass one another at speed.
"My view is [the new housing] quite definitely strengthens the case quite considerably," he said. And Mr Budd believes the reinstated stations at Beauly and Conon Bridge, which were both brought back into service by creating shorter platforms, could act as a lower cost template for a new Evanton stop.
Easter Ross MP, Jamie Stone, also believes the new housing bolsters calls for a new Evanton station.
He said: "The idea of reopening the station at Evanton makes absolute sense. The proposal to build these houses strengthens the argument hugely and I very much hope really serious consideration is given to feasibility studies to do this.
"Who knows, as the population grows and housing increases this could be model for other communities over Scotland."
He added that a new station would be a boost for efforts to fight climate change by encouraging more railway use and "getting people out of the car and onto rail, which is the safest and greenest form of travel".
Related news: Evanton housing 'will be boost for local people'
