Alloa to Dunfermline Rail Service: Community views, opinions & Ideas A report by John Hosie for Mark Ruskell MSP Published June 2019 Public Meetings In order to establish the level of public interest from the communities of Alloa, Clackmannan, Kincardine and the West Fife villages for the reopening of the Alloa to Dunfermline rail link, two public meetings took place. The first public meeting was on Monday 13th May at 7pm in the Kincardine Community Centre and the second took place in Alloa Town Hall on Monday 20th May at 7pm. The format for both meetings was the same, firstly information on the history of the rail line since closure and potential ways it can be re-opened for passenger use was presented by David Prescott (rail consultant), secondly a listening exercise took place to the views, concerns and transport needs of the local communities with inputs from key stakeholders. The meetings were hosted by Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife. The evening involved small group workshop discussions. The feedback and responses from these meetings are contained within this report, it therefore represents the voice of the local communities and can be an important starting point for any more detailed feasibility studies to follow. The key intended outputs from the two public meetings were: 1. Establish the level of public support that currently existed for the reopening of the Alloa to Dunfermline rail link 2. Establish a group which would support and facilitate the development of the rail project 3. Provide an overview of the transport priorities and needs of the respective local communities For further information please contact: Mark Ruskell MSP, 67A King Street, Stirling, FK8 1BN [email protected] 01786 448 203 Workshop Framework: The Process Small Discussion Groups: 8-10 participants including agency delegates: 1 facilitator & 1 note taker, flip chart paper, pens, marker pens & post-its: There are 4 distinct stages to this process: Ice breaker: everybody introduces who they are and where they are from, 2 questions are then answered individually: (i) “How would the reintroduction of the rail link make a difference to my life?” These impact statements are written onto individual post-its, then they are stuck onto the flip chart sheet. Facilitators for each question can cluster or group the comments into common themes. (10 mins) Topic: “What are the problems, issues, barriers and challenges that currently exist for you and your community in relation to travel and transport?” Participants can verbally feed into the Group, the scribe will write all contributions onto the sheet, one singer one song, or at any time participants can write down comments onto post-its and stick them onto the flip chart sheet. Facilitator organises the responses into common themes and then feed back to the meeting. (15 mins) Topic: If there is a Group consensus that a railway is a solution to the challenges and issues identified in the above topic, then the task is to describe how the railway would successfully address these particular issues. The Group are required to map out what the potential service would look like: “how would the reintroduction of this rail service solve these problems?” & “What would the ideal railway service look like?” Feedback to the meeting (15 mins) Plenary: What do we need to do now? How can we make progress? What is my role? the role of my Group, agency or organisation in moving this project forward? (20 mins lead by Mark) Special thanks to the following people and their agencies for contributing and participating with the public meetings and in providing ongoing detailed information about their roles and professional perspectives regards the reintroduction of the Alloa to Dunfermline rail link. • David Prescott ; Rail consultant. Presentations to both public meetings, detailed the history of the local railways, highlighted the opportunities that currently exist for the reinstatement of this line and skillfully explained the process involved with developing a new rail project. Thanks also for his ongoing support, advice and expertise throughout the last 2 months. • Cameron Little: Transport lead at Alloa Community Council • Donald Campbell; Go Forth Kincardine & Kincardine Community Council • Derek Halden: Transport Consultant • Keith Frisken: SESTran • John Veitch & John Morris: Talgo • Jane Findlay; Fife Council • Marion Robertson & Bryan Quinn: Clacks Greens: Support with workshop facilitation • Rose Tweedale, Paul Junik & David Kerr :Transport Scotland, thanks for meeting with myself and David Prescott Alloa Town Hall Monday 20th May 2019 How would the reintroduction of the rail link make a difference to my life? • Increase employment opportunities from • Would make it easier for people from Fife Clackmannan to attend hospital appointments in Larbert • Less road journeys, especially to Fife • Reduce my commute to Edinburgh • Better choice of destination by train • Longannet too Dunfermline line passes • When I go to Edinburgh I have to drive to close to our house, coal trains during anti Falkirk and get the train from there social hours caused disturbance. Any new • Getting to work and young people to service should be restricted in speed and education. hours. • Better access to Edinburgh and when • If there was a station at Cambus & commuting to Fife Clackmannan I could use this to get to • A better train service work instead of always using the car. • A more frequent route to Edinburgh • It would open up options for travel to east • Another car free destination. & Edinburgh • Increase access to Fife and beyond • I would use the link • More choice • Bring opportunities for tourism and • Greater access for college students business • Holiday and Leisure • Accessible to Dunfermline for work & • If the ferry service was restarted then it leisure would be easy access to Europe • Better access to and from Clackmannan • More people might travel to our • Would make it easier to visit friends and community for business & pleasure relatives in Fife • Make it more likely that I would use the • It would allow access to Stirling or train to get to Edinburgh Dunfermline shops or jobs-especially at • It would provide an alternative route to evening and early morning periods Edinburgh or Fife • Travel for employment • A through link to Alloa would make the • Bring other people to Clackmannan : extra services more important, making the Tourists line more reliable • More accessible for towns, more job • Depending on where the station is, it could opportunities improve transport options as they are • I would use my car less limited at the moment • The family could run with 1 car less • Assist greatly with tourism links, economic • Access to Fife would be easier benefits for Clackmannan • Fife road congestion and road networking • Better for the environment, les cars !! is difficult to negotiate that will improve • Help me and others with links to other • Potential strategic link from Fife to areas from Clackmannan, very poor service Edinburgh would move closer at the moment • Choice of places to go • Access to hubs • Depends on the frequency of the trains- • Airport access by public transport NOISE • I would travel to Edinburgh more regularly • Would need a station HALT nearby to make • Link bus services it worthwhile e.g. Low Valleyfield or Culross • Better transport options , noise disturbance • It’s a no brainer the more services trains • A train from Alloa to Dunfermline might provide open up Scotland open up the entire area to a bus network • Wider job market • Less driving, time saving • Access to more opportunities-shop young • It may support innovation in community people moving away and make Clacks a based transport solutions and leader more attractive place to live for people to services contribute to Edinburgh • Alternative link to Edinburgh -saves driving • I would cut down on my car use and be • More transport options make public able to get between different workplaces transport more viable, currently from west easier Fife its quicker to walk to Stirling than take • Easier to visit relatives the train • Better connectivity less dependence on the • If Alloa to Dunfermline was to open as far car and bus as I’m concerned is a better connection to • I live about 5 Meters from the track noise Edinburgh will be a problem. • Retired local resident-I commute regularly • Improve tourism town centre regeneration therefore greatly be advantaged to all Fife & through increased footfall Edinburgh etc. • More travel options (dependent on • An increase in noise levels frequency & need for local stops along the • Move the trees in front of my house! more route-integration) light • An alternate route to Edinburgh when • Ease of reaching Inverkiething and getting current option fails to other parts of Scotland What are the problems, barriers, challenges and issues that currently exist for you and your community, in relation to travel and transport? • No link up with bus timetables • Lack of connections to Clackmannanshire • Not enough seats on trains especially at villages peak times • Possible lack of communication and savvy • Stirling station foot bridge (72 steps approx) between bus and train companies no access for disabled eg young mum with • No one acts on issues like platform 9 = prams not possible to access-no response sheer ignorance health & safety from railway staff • Poor bus links to Fife • Poor public transport from Clackmannan • Cancelled trains especially going east • Terrible ticket pricing from