Councillor Gains Assurances Over Kintore Station Timescales

SNP Councillor for East Garioch, Councillor Glen Reid, expressed concerns over the Kintore Railway Station delivery arrangements at yesterday’s meeting of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, but welcomed assurances which were offered at the meeting over holding Network Rail to their revised timescale for the project.

At a meeting of the Infrastructure Services Committee on Thursday 20th June, Cllr Reid - who as well as being a councillor for Kintore is the Opposition’s Deputy Spokesperson on Infrastructure Services, sought assurances that the Kintore Station would be open and operating no later than May 2020.

He said,

“Whilst I welcome this paper and the progress made so far, I seek assurances from officers that they use all of their powers to pressurise Network Rail to ensure that the programme date does not slip any further. We have a community who have been waiting for this station, are looking forward to it and it will be transformational for Kintore.

“However, we had been told all along by Network Rail that the station would be opening in December of this year. This date was quoted by Nestrans, appeared in Aberdeenshire Council’s papers, in the local and national press, but earlier this year Network Rail denied this date had ever been set. They soon backtracked, but said that it was only aspirational.

“I note that in today’s committee paper it says that the delivery programme date of May 2020 will be kept under review. This cannot be allowed to slip any further.”

Aberdeenshire Council officers assured Councillor Reid that they will continue to reinforce the point that the May 2020 is an absolute requirement.

Speaking after the meeting Councillor Reid said,

“I am pleased that this May delivery date is a priority for the Council. I will continue to monitor and press on this matter as it means so much to the local community.”