Calls for rail route to reopen

There are calls for the Alloa to Dunfermline rail line to be reopened.

Clackmannanshire Council are discussing a motion today, which says it would "reconnect" communities.

The route closed in 1968.

It's been 17 years since the Alloa to Stirling line reopened.

The motion says:

"Council notes the continuing success of the Alloa to Stirling railway line since its reopening in 2008, which has delivered substantial economic, social, and environmental benefits to Clackmannanshire and the wider region; Council recognises that the line has provided a vital sustainable transport link for residents, improved access to employment, education, and leisure opportunities, and helped to reduce road congestion and carbon emissions; Council further notes the growing community and regional support for the reopening of the railway line from Alloa to Dunfermline, which would reconnect communities across Fife and Clackmannanshire, enhance regional connectivity, and open up new opportunities for growth and regeneration; Council also notes the potential reinstatement of a direct passenger ferry service between Rosyth and mainland Europe, and macknowledges that the reopening of the Alloa–Dunfermline rail line would strengthen mpublic transport connections to Rosyth, improving access to international travel and msupporting Scotland’s ambitions for sustainable transport and trade. Council therefore agrees to:

1. Celebrate and promote the success of the Alloa to Stirling railway as a model of transport investment that delivers lasting community benefit.

2. Support, in principle, the reopening of the line from Alloa to Dunfermline as a natural next step in improving sustainable transport links across central Scotland and supporting future strategic international connections such as a Rosyth–Europe ferry service.

3. Engage with Transport Scotland, Fife Council, and other relevant partners to explore opportunities for collaboration in support of this project.

4. Request that the Chief Executive write to the Scottish Government expressing the Council’s support for continued investment in rail connectivity, including the Alloa to Dunfermline proposal and its alignment with wider sustainable travel and international transport opportunities."