Our Proposals | Campaign for North East Rail

Change is in the air.
Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city, once hailed for decades as the Oil and Gas Capital of Europe, the region is facing an existential crisis.

Since the discovery of North Sea Oil nearly 50 years ago, the population of the region has swelled. For decades the North East of Scotland has fostered a highly skilled workforce with expertise in offshore engineering, planning, research, safety and survival. Around 30% of all employment in the North East is in Oil & Gas, and much more is linked indirectly to the industry.

"An entire region of Scotland is at risk of economic and social collapse. It will affect everybody in those communities, not just those employed by the industry."

Retaining this workforce in the North East is a critical factor in making a success of the Just Transition. The opportunity for Scotland is there for the taking - we can utilise this entrenched expertise and use it as the foundation of a Renewable Energy industry. Workers actively want to make the transition to renewables, but at the moment there are simply not enough jobs for them to go to. If we don't attract investment in alternative industry now , these workers will go where the jobs are, and the North East will enter a protracted period of decline.

82% of Oil & Gas workers say they would consider moving to a job... in renewables and offshore wind. One worker said that “moving into renewables is something to feel good about.”

Successive studies have found evidence that Transport is a key factor holding the North East back from meeting it's potential. A lack of suitable connections prevent existing businesses from growing, and makes investment in new industry more difficult to attract.

Solving these transport problems will help existing businesses thrive, attract new diverse investment, and will directly support Scotland achieve it's Just Transition.

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The Studies.
Studies completed in 2024 and 2025 provided evidence of how the
North East is being held back by problems with Transportation, here's how:

Download the Executive Summary >

1. North East Industry is heavily reliant on transport to do business.

“There is a clear economic rationale underpinning the need for transport improvement in the study area with analysis highlighting the dominance of the primary industries in the area. These industries are relatively transport intensive, with a heavy reliance on the movement of goods, Peterhead Port and Fraserburgh Harbour are key attractors and generators of freight.”

2. Unreliable shipping times results in high costs and inefficiencies.

“For the Oil & Gas Supply and Subsea industries, where vessels only have limited time at berth in the harbours, ‘slack’ must be built into freight movements, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs. For the Fishing industry, where stock can depreciate in value quickly, the movement of product is particularly time critical with road delays impacting heavily on
businesses in this highly competitive market. ”

3. Road freight congestion in the North East leads to frustration and dangerous roads.

“Delay on the strategic roads in the study area mean trips must be started earlier or later to avoid heavily congested times, making people late for appointments and meetings, and also creating strong feelings of isolation. The proportion and speed of freight traffic on key road routes was a cause of frustration for the public when undertaking day-to-day activities. This frustration at delay on the roads was felt to be the key cause of the high road accident occurrences in the study area. The impact of accidents and the delay they cause was also noted by the business community in terms of the impact on business operations and the difficulty in planning with this element of unreliability and unpredictability in travel times by road.”

4. These problems will only get worsem particularily on routes north of Ellon.

“Modelling of the future transport network, as well as the travel demand associated with housing and employment build-out, suggest that there will be increased traffic and increased travel time on the road routes north of Ellon. Overall the analysis emphasises that the future ability to efficiently move people and goods is paramount in order to anchor local businesses and employment opportunities in the area – enabling wider access to regional health and social facilities, and reducing the inequalities gap.”

Improvements brought by a new rail connection in Buchan will simultaneously solve chronic transport issues that plague local businesses and residents, open up the region for growth and investment, and significantly enhance progress towards our a truly Just Transition.

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The Why.
One of the primary focuses of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was to understand the Social, Economic and Healthcare needs of the North East. Here's what it found.

Social Context

High levels of deprivation

Fraserburgh and Peterhead are the most deprived areas in Aberdeenshire, with significant areas being within the 20% most deprived in Scotland. Both Peterhead and
Fraserburgh have seen an increase in the number of areas which are classed within the 20% most deprived category in the period since 2016. Fraserburgh are identified as ‘Regeneration Priority Areas’ within the Aberdeenshire LDP.

This means that large swathes of the population in this area has difficulty accessing employment, education, healthcare and other services.

This is further evidenced by looking at the average income of residents in towns across Aberdeenshire. Fraserburgh and Peterhead come in last in that comparison.

Public Transport is slow, unreliable, and poorly connected

The same journey...

36 minutes slower by public transport.

Long journey times are the main barrier to public transport use for locals. 85% of people surveyed, who said they would like to use public transport identified the length of time it takes to travel by bus as the main factor preventing them from travelling as frequently as they would like and using their cars more, if they have that option.

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Over 65% of businesses stated that transport problems in the region, including long journey times and unpredictable shipping times, impact on their ability to attract and retain the staff they need, hampering the economic growth of the region.

Evidence suggests that poor public transport connectivity to health services in the study area are contributing to poor health outcomes. NHS Grampian consider visits to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as an essential piece of healthcare provision in Aberdeenshire.

Local roads are congested with HGVs, and dangerous. A comparison of the severity of collisions on the A90(N)/A952 suggests that where collisions occur, they are more likely to be fatal than on similar roads in Aberdeenshire and Scotland.

26 times as many people frequently drive than take the bus.

Poor Public Transport is Hampering People's Opportunities

Students from Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Mintlaw Academies stated that Universities further afield like Edinburgh and Glasgow are more attractive due to unreliable public transport in the local area.

People travelling to venues across the region want to attend events, socialise, and drink alcohol. Costs of private transport or overnight stays in local hotels can often make attendance prohibitive.

Poor public transport has been cited as a reason that firms struggle to attract and retain staff. At least two major companies have relocated away from Fraserburgh partially due to this fact.

Working closely
with

In partnership with

Change is in the air.
Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city, once hailed for decades as the Oil and Gas Capital of Europe, the region is facing an existential crisis.

"An entire region of Scotland is at risk of economic and social collapse. It will affect everybody in those communities, not just those employed by the industry."

82% of Oil & Gas workers say they would consider moving to a job... in renewables and offshore wind. One worker said that “moving into renewables is something to feel good about.”

The Studies.
Studies completed in 2024 and 2025 provided evidence of how the
North East is being held back by problems with Transportation, here's how:

Download the Executive Summary >

The Why.
One of the primary focuses of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was to understand the Social, Economic and Healthcare needs of the North East. Here's what it found.

26 times as many people frequently drive than take the bus.

Students from Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Mintlaw Academies stated that Universities further afield like Edinburgh and Glasgow are more attractive due to unreliable public transport in the local area.

People travelling to venues across the region want to attend events, socialise, and drink alcohol. Costs of private transport or overnight stays in local hotels can often make attendance prohibitive.

Poor public transport has been cited as a reason that firms struggle to attract and retain staff. At least two major companies have relocated away from Fraserburgh partially due to this fact.

Working closely with

Change is in the air. Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city, once hailed for decades as the Oil and Gas Capital of Europe, the region is facing an existential crisis.

"An entire region of Scotland is at risk of economic and social collapse. It will affect everybody in those communities, not just those employed by the industry."

82% of Oil & Gas workers say they would consider moving to a job... in renewables and offshore wind. One worker said that “moving into renewables is something to feel good about.”

The Studies. Studies completed in 2024 and 2025 provided evidence of how the North East is being held back by problems with Transportation, here's how:

Download the Executive Summary >

The Why. One of the primary focuses of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was to understand the Social, Economic and Healthcare needs of the North East. Here's what it found.

26 times as many people frequently drive than take the bus.

Students from Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Mintlaw Academies stated that Universities further afield like Edinburgh and Glasgow are more attractive due to unreliable public transport in the local area.

People travelling to venues across the region want to attend events, socialise, and drink alcohol. Costs of private transport or overnight stays in local hotels can often make attendance prohibitive.

Poor public transport has been cited as a reason that firms struggle to attract and retain staff. At least two major companies have relocated away from Fraserburgh partially due to this fact.

Working closely
with

Change is in the air.
Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city, once hailed for decades as the Oil and Gas Capital of Europe, the region is facing an existential crisis.

The Studies.
Studies completed in 2024 and 2025 provided evidence of how the
North East is being held back by problems with Transportation, here's how:

The Why.
One of the primary focuses of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was to understand the Social, Economic and Healthcare needs of the North East. Here's what it found.