Re-opening rail line to St Andrews rejected by Scottish Government

[och aye]

I doubt this decision by the Scot Gov will be much of a surprise to many folk on this forum.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/trans...drews-rejected-by-scottish-government-5351843 (non-paywall link: https://archive.is/oZ6Ts)

Plans to re-open a rail line to St Andrews has been rejected by Transport Scotland in a “slap in the face” for the Fife town, The Scotsman has learned.

The Scottish Government agency said “a clear case has not been made” to progress plans for either a rail or tram-style light rail scheme.

But the body said there was evidence an improved rail-bus interchange to and from Leuchars six miles away instead “could provide improvements for passengers”.

The decision came in response to a report commissioned by the St Andrews Rail Link campaign (StARLink) which has been lobbying for 36 years for its reconnection to the rail network after the line was closed in 1969.

The study was commissioned seven years ago, with the then Transport Secretary Michael Matheson announcing its funding in the town.

The blow comes a year after a six-mile line to Leven in Fife was re-opened after a similar gap, and just after the tenth anniversary of the re-opening of the Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We have reviewed the detailed appraisal report from StARLink, which has considered heavy and light rail options at St Andrews. The outcome of this review is that a clear case has not been made for either option to be progressed further.

“However, there is evidence to suggest that improved rail-bus interchange for journeys to and from St Andrews via Leuchars could provide improvements for passengers.

“While the existing rail-bus link offers a fast and frequent service with integrated ticketing, there may be ways to go further in order to make journeys to and from St Andrews via Leuchars as attractive and seamless as possible.

“We have offered to work alongside StARLink and partners including Fife Council, SEStran and the operators to explore options to further improve bus-rail integration.”

StARLink convener Jane Ann Liston said: “St Andrews has been described as the cradle of Scottish tourism as well as a combination of Scotland's Oxbridge and Canterbury. In addition, its role as the home of golf contributes £317 million to the economy a year.

“As such, it is a key destination, last year attracting 7m visitors according to the St Andrews Business Improvement District.

“It is therefore disappointing and perplexing that Transport Scotland has decided that St Andrews can make do with a better bus link to Leuchars station rather than being connected to the rail network, enabling direct travel to Edinburgh, and Dundee and all points north.

“We've been here before - back in 2008, the Scottish Government decided to rename the bus service a 'virtual branch line', which, rather than getting people out of cars, resulted in Leuchars car park being doubled in size.

“Even the higher frequency of buses nowadays only tempts a minority of railway passengers away from cars and taxis, all trundling along the busiest road in North East Fife, and then driving round and round in the town trying to find somewhere to park.

“In most other countries, St Andrews would have had a railway connection restored years ago, or more likely would never have lost it in the first place. It's a sad day for St Andrews and a slap in the face considering the revenue it generates.”

Scottish Greens transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “I’m very disappointed that for now the option of a rail route has been closed off by the Scottish Government.

“Over many years, improvements to bus services have failed to deliver the connectivity the town needs.

“The case for re-opening the station remains but it will need a government that is prepared to prioritise public transport investment over road.”

 

[waverley47]

I can't say what the number was, but I can say that the BCR was very, very, very low...

 

[John R]

I'd be interested to understand why the CBAs for Leven and St Andrews are quite so different, as (speaking from afar) I would have thought St Andrews would have the potential for much more traffic than Leven not least given the University.

 

[DarloRich]

I'd be interested to understand why the CBAs for Leven and St Andrews are quite so different, as (speaking from afar) I would have thought St Andrews would have the potential for much more traffic than Leven not least given the University.

Have you not got a new bridge to build over a river and obstructions on the old track bed? That and a good bus service!

 

[och aye]

Have you not got a new bridge to build over a river and obstructions on the old track bed? That and a good bus service!

I don't think many golfers would be too happy with a railway line crossing through the middle of their golf course.

 

[DarloRich]

I don't think many golfers would be too happy with a railway line crossing through the middle of their golf course.

well that changes everything. Kenny, start the bulldozer..................

( of course - isn't that famous pub near the golf the old station masters house?)

 

[Aaron_TTL]

Have you not got a new bridge to build over a river and obstructions on the old track bed? That and a good bus service!

Good but very expensive bus service. £6.50 for an adult to go 5 miles from Leu to St A is really expensive. £9 a day ticket since returns were removed.

 

[brad465]

I doubt this decision by the Scot Gov will be much of a surprise to many folk on this forum.

You say that, but this is the same government that managed to get Reston to happen.

 

[quantinghome]

You say that, but this is the same government that managed to get Reston to happen.

That doesn't required the Big "I" infrastructure that would be needed here. We go on about the cost of new stations, but they are still piddlingly small compared to reopening an abandoned line. Let's remember Levenmouth was essentially reintroducing passenger services onto an extant line with no big new structures needed, and that cost over £100m. Goodness knows what the cost would have been for St. Andrews. In fact the options looked at for a rail link called for an entirely new route.

Based on my admittedly limited experience using the service, the best improvement would be to leverage the advantage of buses and have it do a loop around St. Andrews so people have a more convenient journey.

 

[I'm here now]

Good but very expensive bus service. £6.50 for an adult to go 5 miles from Leu to St A is really expensive. £9 a day ticket since returns were removed.

No wonder people drive then!

 

[Aaron_TTL]

Based on my admittedly limited experience using the service, the best improvement would be to leverage the advantage of buses and have it do a loop around St. Andrews so people have a more convenient journey.

The 99 bus service did infact use to do this, and it was great to get down to the hospital, but then Stagecoach removed it to 'improve reliability' - of which a year later I would say it's just the same really.

 

[aron2smith]

Short sighted, I really thought this was a given after Leven reopened! That line appeared to be well used when I rid it, no reason why St Andrews would be any different. No reason why any town above 10000 people couldn't at least get an hourly rail service to their nearest large town or city.

 

[A S Leib]

Was a direct Dundee service considered, or only to Edinburgh? I don't think that the train would have been much quicker than the bus for Dundee, if at all, and rebuilding a railway link whilst keeping a similar level of buses probably wouldn't have helped the business case.

 

[The exile]

I'd be interested to understand why the CBAs for Leven and St Andrews are quite so different, as (speaking from afar) I would have thought St Andrews would have the potential for much more traffic than Leven not least given the University.

The theoretical benefits of increasing the opportunities of the residents of Leven and Methil to access employment opportunities will be considerably greater per head than for the residents of St Andrews!

 

[hexagon789]

Was a direct Dundee service considered, or only to Edinburgh? I don't think that the train would have been much quicker than the bus for Dundee, if at all, and rebuilding a railway link whilst keeping a similar level of buses probably wouldn't have helped the business case.

How long does the bus take?

Assuming a similar level of infrastructure as was, before closure through trains to Dundee took 25 mins from St Andrews including a stop at Leuchars. A slight improvement may be possible as timings Leuchars to Dundee seem slightly quicker these days (about 3 mins less).

 

[brad465]

That doesn't required the Big "I" infrastructure that would be needed here. We go on about the cost of new stations, but they are still piddlingly small compared to reopening an abandoned line. Let's remember Levenmouth was essentially reintroducing passenger services onto an extant line with no big new structures needed, and that cost over £100m. Goodness knows what the cost would have been for St. Andrews. In fact the options looked at for a rail link called for an entirely new route.

Based on my admittedly limited experience using the service, the best improvement would be to leverage the advantage of buses and have it do a loop around St. Andrews so people have a more convenient journey.

I didn't suggest it was a brilliant investment that should be approved, I was pointing out that the Scottish Government have made at least one odd decision regarding railway reopenings before.

 

[A S Leib]

How long does the bus take?

28 minutes, running up to around every eight minutes.

 

[hexagon789]

28 minutes, running up to around every eight minutes.

So it's not that much more than a theoretical train schedule as to make an impact.

To be fair, it's hardly a great distance anyway.

 

[stevieinselby]

I'd be interested to understand why the CBAs for Leven and St Andrews are quite so different, as (speaking from afar) I would have thought St Andrews would have the potential for much more traffic than Leven not least given the University.

The 99 bus runs every 8–10 minutes between St Andrews town centre and Leuchars station (taking 11 minutes each way) and on to Dundee (taking about 30 minutes each way).
Compare that with Leven, which at best has the X58/X60 running every 30 minutes to Kirkcaldy (taking 30 minutes each way) plus other less frequent and more circuitous routes.
Running direct trains to Leven offers a significantly improved journey in terms of speed and convenience, whereas running trains to St Andrews would only save a few minutes at most.
Not to mention that the line into Edinburgh is already very busy, so it's questionable how many more trains could be run, and with Levenmouth having double the population of St Andrews it is unsurprising that it was a higher priority.

 

[Falcon1200]

No reason why any town above 10000 people couldn't at least get an hourly rail service to their nearest large town or city.

Was a direct Dundee service considered, or only to Edinburgh?

Surely if St Andrews ever does get its railway back the service would just be a shuttle to Leuchars? Because going to Dundee would mean extra paths, Going to Edinburgh would require both extra paths and a reversal at Leuchars. Although, as unlike Leven there is no existing line to upgrade, and unlike Borders the previous route cannot be re-used, it is understandable why it is not happening. And finally, if a change at Leuchars is required anyway, this might as well be to the bus service which runs more frequently and serves more stops than the railway ever could.

 

[Djgr]

Closing the branch to St. Andrews was not somebody's best decision. A real historical nadir for the railway.

 

[aron2smith]

Surely if St Andrews ever does get its railway back the service would just be a shuttle to Leuchars? Because going to Dundee would mean extra paths, Going to Edinburgh would require both extra paths and a reversal at Leuchars. Although, as unlike Leven there is no existing line to upgrade, and unlike Borders the previous route cannot be re-used, it is understandable why it is not happening. And finally, if a change at Leuchars is required anyway, this might as well be to the bus service which runs more frequently and serves more stops than the railway ever could.

Why would a reopened line have to follow the old route though? It would make more sense to build a branch a couple miles north of Cupar and then cut across the empty fields to the town. Wouldn't need to worry about any big bridges or the golf course then. Where the A91 enters St Andrews seems like an ideal location for a station, 10 minutes walk to the high street and next to the university. I'd prefer a direct service to Edinburgh but a bay platform at Cupar that times with trains to Edinburgh and Dundee could work if Scotrail's trains were longer.

As for those saying about the bus, I appreciate for once they are fast and frequent. But some questions. Are there combined bus and train tickets? Do Stagecoach bother to make every effort to time their routes with the trains? If it's like most of the country where buses and trains are not integrated in any way at all, then that must be sorted. Something like GWR's rail link bus routes gives way more confidence of a connecting journey being possible for those of us new to an area.

But to me buses are not a substitute for the railway, they are supposed to add to it. They are good for local and shorter regional journeys. Trains actually put a place on the map, I live in the South East of England, why should people in my part of the country bother with a town like St Andrews when we visit Scotland if the local authorities can't be bothered to connect it properly? Trains are needed in places like St Andrews because of the connectivity and accessibility it brings. It opens the world up. Suddenly it's not St Andrews to just Leven and Dundee with people just driving for everywhere else, it's St Andrews to the rest of Scotland and even England by rail.

 

[takno]

But to me buses are not a substitute for the railway, they are supposed to add to it. They are good for local and shorter regional journeys. Trains actually put a place on the map, I live in the South East of England, why should people in my part of the country bother with a town like St Andrews when we visit Scotland if the local authorities can't be bothered to connect it properly? Trains are needed in places like St Andrews because of the connectivity and accessibility it brings. It opens the world up. Suddenly it's not St Andrews to just Leven and Dundee with people just driving for everywhere else, it's St Andrews to the rest of Scotland and even England by rail.

The vast majority of tourists to Scotland don't look at a rail map tbh, and for that matter there are a lot more interesting places to visit in Scotland that you can't get to by train than St Andrews. As to the local authorities, they have a lot more on their mind than the whims of tourists from England who mistook a train timetable for a tourist guide, what with the needs and wants of all the residents.

You might as well argue that the railway must be restored to Tewkesbury, since the proud residents of that similar-sized town also have to slum it a few miles out of town to go to a station which isn't directly named for the town.

If the line was still open then it probably wouldn't get closed today, and quite possibly if it was located in the Southeast of England it wouldn't have been closed in the 1960s. In terms of useful ways to blow a few hundred million quid on railways in Scotland today though, a new line to St Andrews probably doesn't make the top 50.

 

[A S Leib]

Are there combined bus and train tickets?

Yes. They don't seem to be available with railcards, but the ScotRail app automatically splits at Leuchars if railcards are selected.

Do Stagecoach bother to make every effort to time their routes with the trains?

With a turn-up-and-go service running eight times per hour for most of the day, is there much of a point?

 

[overthewater]

It was the right decision, it would be a complete waste of money and some people seem to think we need to reopen any old rain lines to show Dr Beeching was wrong. There are many places around Scotland which needs to be higher priority when it comes to reopening old lines like Scottish borders to Carlisle etc This link isn't one of them and isn't comparable to the recent Leven reopening.

None of the arguments I've read on this thread change my mind, nor is it justifiable for spending a very large amount of public money for very little gains. If the service was just a shuttle, what is the point when we already have bus running every 8-10mins? So what about a service from St Andrews to Dundee again the bus service is blows it out of the water so that just leaves us with Edinburgh to St Andrews.....

Most likely it would have to be built on the south side of the A91 and miss out Leuchars train station, and how much would that cost. Then you have to ask would we need to spilt the trains at Cupar? I can't see them having an extra train running about every hour? Ie shuttle Cupar to St Andrews etc

I appreciate the high levels of passion which comes with wanting to improve the rail network, but with tight budgets and limited resources the government needs to prioritise routes which will be for the greater good.

The 99 bus service did infact use to do this, and it was great to get down to the hospital, but then Stagecoach removed it to 'improve reliability' - of which a year later I would say it's just the same really.

The Scottish power Roadworks are to blame for that, Maybe in 2026 they will rejoin the sections?

 

[aron2smith]

Yes. They don't seem to be available with railcards, but the ScotRail app automatically splits at Leuchars if railcards are selected.

Good but a shame Plusbus doesn't seem to be available either for this area.

With a turn-up-and-go service running eight times per hour for most of the day, is there much of a point?

I would say there is a point whilst buses remain privatised, they can change and be cut at a moment's notice. There's no one there to make Scotrail and Stagecoach always work together. Maybe Scottish councils are more resilient with their funding but cuts to English counties subsidising buses shows how quickly things can change. Only needs a company like Arriva up there and an 8 minute frequency, becomes 12 then 15 then suddenly its only every half hour. I know it's much less likely in a town with a university but cuts of this kind have happened over decades. I wouldn't have such a concern if Scotland was going to franchise buses. Edinburgh's buses are fantastic but it's hard to trust the service will always be there in a place like Fife when it's left to private companies to run them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Oct 2025 ==

The vast majority of tourists to Scotland don't look at a rail map tbh, and for that matter there are a lot more interesting places to visit in Scotland that you can't get to by train than St Andrews. As to the local authorities, they have a lot more on their mind than the whims of tourists from England who mistook a train timetable for a tourist guide, what with the needs and wants of all the residents.

You might as well argue that the railway must be restored to Tewkesbury, since the proud residents of that similar-sized town also have to slum it a few miles out of town to go to a station which isn't directly named for the town.

If the line was still open then it probably wouldn't get closed today, and quite possibly if it was located in the Southeast of England it wouldn't have been closed in the 1960s. In terms of useful ways to blow a few hundred million quid on railways in Scotland today though, a new line to St Andrews probably doesn't make the top 50.

I wasn't trying to be antagonistic, just the places without trains tend to be more left behind. Less people visiting, less spending in the local area, a train at least helps with mobility. I personally think 10,000 people is the cut off for whether a town should have a railway or not, in reality a lot of places much smaller than this still have a station. 10,000 just seems like a size where it allows for future growth and at that point, we need the infrastructure, otherwise problems like traffic become an issue.

It seems to have really benefitted Leven, so why not bigger St Andrews?

 

[John R]

Less people visiting, less spending in the local area,

Is that a problem at St Andrews given the Uni?

I personally think 10,000 people is the cut off for whether a town should have a railway or not,

Depends exactly where the town is. If it's only reached by a 50 mile branch line through uninhabited areas then probably not justifiable.

It seems to have really benefitted Leven, so why not bigger St Andrews?

When you add Methill to Leven, the populations are comparable with St Andrews, and then there's Buckhaven on top.

 

[och aye]

Good but a shame Plusbus doesn't seem to be available either for this area.

I would say there is a point whilst buses remain privatised, they can change and be cut at a moment's notice. There's no one there to make Scotrail and Stagecoach always work together. Maybe Scottish councils are more resilient with their funding but cuts to English counties subsidising buses shows how quickly things can change. Only needs a company like Arriva up there and an 8 minute frequency, becomes 12 then 15 then suddenly its only every half hour. I know it's much less likely in a town with a university but cuts of this kind have happened over decades. I wouldn't have such a concern if Scotland was going to franchise buses. Edinburgh's buses are fantastic but it's hard to trust the service will always be there in a place like Fife when it's left to private companies to run them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Oct 2025 ==


I wasn't trying to be antagonistic, just the places without trains tend to be more left behind. Less people visiting, less spending in the local area, a train at least helps with mobility. I personally think 10,000 people is the cut off for whether a town should have a railway or not, in reality a lot of places much smaller than this still have a station. 10,000 just seems like a size where it allows for future growth and at that point, we need the infrastructure, otherwise problems like traffic become an issue.

It seems to have really benefitted Leven, so why not bigger St Andrews?

It would almost certainly be a lot cheaper and beneficial to have an integrated bus/train ticket from St Andrews to Leuchers than to build a new line to the town.

As others have said, while it would be "nice to have" the reality is that there isn't too much cash to spend on the railway network. We're probably likely to see station re-openings on the existing network for the foreseeable future, rather than any re-opening of former rail links.

 

[Falcon1200]

Why would a reopened line have to follow the old route though? It would make more sense to build a branch a couple miles north of Cupar and then cut across the empty fields to the town.

How much is that going to cost, and who is going to pay? Hopefully not my taxes, anyway!

so why not bigger St Andrews?

For the reasons I mentioned Post #20, and the cost - Anyone like to provide an estimate for that?

 

[Djgr]

I do feel St Andrews is a special case.

Although its population is not huge, it has significant tourist traffic, as well as one of the key universities of the United Kingdom.

The stories I have heard are of visitors getting a taxi all the way from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews rather than frequent the bus "link" from Leuchars.