Working closely
with
"As I argue in my latest book, the route to Fraserburgh should have been rationalised and developed as a key link for Buchan. Today, a new railway to Peterhead and Fraserburgh should be Scotland’s top-priority rail re-opening."
- David Spaven
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Solving these transport problems will help existing businesses thrive, attract new diverse investment, and will directly support Scotland achieve it's Just Transition.
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:
1. North East Industry is heavily reliant on transport to do business.
2. Unreliable shipping times results in high costs and inefficiencies.
3. Road freight congestion in the North East leads to frustration and dangerous roads.
4. These problems will only get worsem particularily on routes north of Ellon.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Bus Journey Time Length and Reliability
The same journey...
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36 minutes slower by public transport.
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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 to travel to Aberdeen more, 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.
26 times as many people frequently drive than take the bus.
This was determined from the survey frequency data with 30% of respondents indicating that they had driven to Aberdeen at least 4-5 days a week compared to just 4% making this same trip at this frequency by bus. Car ownership in the region is lower than the national average, meaning many rely on poor public transport provided.
Many Other Bus Problems...
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.
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.
The Proposal
A Modern Railway for Modern Needs
CNER are campaigning to extend the East Coast Line northwards from Aberdeen, through Ellon and Peterhead to ultimately terminate at Fraserburgh. Our proposed railway is not simply a reopening, rather, we propose combining the former Formartine and Buchan route with new sections to create a modern railway that is suited to serve the needs of the modern day folk of Buchan. Fundamental to these proposals is the retention of the Formartine and Buchan Way as a cycle path. Let us be clear, CNER will never consider removing the existing cycle path from the community. Where the new railway follows the historic route, the cycle path will be retained alongside the railway. Elsewhere, the railway will deviate from the cycle path, allowing the FBW to be enjoyed as the quiet, rural nature walk that it is today. In fact, our preferred route leaves the vast majority of the Formartine and Buchan Way as it is.
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Studies in 2016 and 2017 identified that fully reopening the historic route is not feasible, nor is a railway that terminates in Ellon. CNER saw a flaw in these studies, neither of the pieces considered the former track alignment of the Boddam Branch line, which ran from Ellon through Auchmacoy, Pitlurg, Hatton, Cruden Bay, the Bullers, Longhaven, and terminated in Boddam. The line closed in 1948, but much of it remains in remarkable condition almost 60 years on. CNER intended to build on the data
gathered by these studies, update it, and mix in a dash of local knowledge to produce a comprehensive sustainable transport study that will properly answer the question of whether there truly is a case for a new Buchan Rail link.
To make a long story short, CNER partnered with the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce to deliver the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study, funded by £250,000 awarded to us by the Scottish Government's Just Transition Fund. AECOM and Stantec were commissioned to undertake the work, and over a period of 10 months, produced two reports which together form the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study, which was delivered and submitted to the Scottish Government in June 2024. The success of the BSTS demonstrates that CNER spent the public money awarded to us by the JTF responsibly, producing a body of work in an accelerated period of time that lays an evidential foundation for extending the East Coast line northwards. CNER are now focussed on building support across the community, and seeking funding for the next step, a Detailed Options Appraisal.
Supporting the Just Transition
For over 50 years Buchan has been the epicentre of the UK Oil and Gas Industry. Now, with what we know of man made climate change, there is a pressing need for a global shift from Fossil Fuels to Renewable energy. Considering the inordinate role Oil and Gas plays in supporting jobs and people's livelihoods across the region, it is imperative that the transition to alternative industry is a just one, allowing workers to transfer to new roles, preventing the North East from repeating the mistakes of the transfer from coal through the 1960s and 1970s. To
this day, 35% of all Natural Gas in the UK is onshored and processed at St Fergus, 4 miles to the north of Peterhead.
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The Buchan Sustainable Transport Study has identified a range of opportunities for rail to support the transition from Oil and Gas to Net Zero. These include support for various potential growth areas, including Carbon Capture (CCUS), sustainable fuels, renewables, and decommissioning, as well as supporting growth in existing long established industries such as food and drink, and tourism.
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The case in Buchan for rail freight is strong. The region has both a larder of produce suited to rail, but also the proposed line has sufficient length and lack of infrastructure to justify a shift from road to rail.
A Net Zero Future for St Fergus
Carbon Capture
& Storage
Hydrogen Production
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Shipping the Buchan Larder Across the Rail Network
Brewdog
Craft Beer
World Class Fish & Shellfish
Mackies
Ice Cream
Creating a Destination for Adventure Tourism
Best in UK Surfing
Hiking on Beaches and Cliffs
Cycling the Formartine and Buchan Way
Growing Existing Businesses, Regenerating Fraserburgh and Peterhead
Scotland's Alcatraz & More Museums
Puffins, Cliffside Birdwatching
World Class
Golf
The Preferred Route
Keeping the Good, Adding the Better
The railway will leave Dyce following the Formartine and Buchan Way, crossing into Aberdeenshire above the River Don, and under the AWPR towards Newmachar. South of Newmachar, the railway will cut a new path to place a station between the village and Kingseat, on the existing walking route between the settlements. The line will then rejoin the historic route as far as Udny Station, then peeling off westward. Pitmedden never did have a station, but it's 1400 strong population will in the 21st century. The line then rejoins the historic route, and heads to Ellon, crossing the Ythan over the surviving stone viaduct, and stopping in an area set aside for a station in the Aberdeenshire Council Depot.
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From Ellon, the route will follow the former Boddam branch to reach Peterhead, stopping at Cruden Bay on the way. The historic line did also stop at Hatton, but due to the high cost of crossing the A90 twice, the railway will instead head directly to Cruden Bay. The line then rises out of Cruden Bay to reveal a stunning view across the cliffs of the Bullers of Buchan, before crossing the A90 at Longhaven to avoid Stirling Hill, and aligning with the Peterhead bypass to a station on the Formartine and Buchan Way. Trains will briefly follow the path, until Inverugie, then head directly for Fraserburgh, rejoining the historic route near Cortes Junction, to follow it into Fraserburgh, where a station will mark the terminus of the East Coast Main Line​ near Fraserburgh golf course.
