New £15m Kintore Station welcomes first passengers

15 October, 2020

Kintore re-joined Scotland’s Railway after an absence of 56 years this morning (Thursday 15 October) with the opening of the town’s new station.

Providing an interchange between rail and road, the two-platform station is fully accessible, with step-free access between platforms via a lift-equipped footbridge.

Built by BAM Nuttall on behalf of Network Rail, the new station has extensive car parking – including disabled and electric charging bays – and bike storage.

With 24 of the 168 parking spaces fitted with electric charging points, Kintore station is also now the largest electric vehicle charging location in the north-east of Scotland.

Located 14 miles to the north west of Aberdeen, Kintore Station includes connections to the local bus network and links into the Inverurie-Kintore cycle path.

The new station will be served by up to 28 ScotRail trains each day – including refurbished high-speed Inter7City trains. Customers will benefit from a half-hourly service at peak times Monday to Saturday, and an hourly service on Sundays.

Funded by Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans the new station reconnects Kintore to rail for the first time since 1964 when the original 1854-built station closed as part of the Beeching cuts.

Elements of the original station, including heritage benches and salvaged signs, have been reincorporated into the new facility.

Reopening Kintore became possible by the completion of the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project, part of the Highlands Enhancements Programme Framework. That project saw BAM re-engineer the route between Aberdeen and Inverurie, creating double-track and increasing capacity for new passenger and freight services on the route.

Nissar Mohammed, BAM Nuttall Operations Director, Rail said:

“The opening of Kintore Station is the one of the final pieces in the jigsaw puzzle for Network Rail and BAM in our efforts to transform rail connectivity between Aberdeen and Inverness. Kintore Station offers local commuters the chance to travel in speed and comfort into Aberdeen in less than 20 minutes and onwards to the rest of Scotland’s Railway. “Alongside our work to dual the line between Aberdeen and Inverurie, this new station is the culmination of over five years work to make rail the transport option of choice for people living and working in North East Scotland. I’m very proud of our team’s efforts which I know that rail customers will benefits from for years to come.”

Kris Kinnear, Network Rail Scotland’s capital delivery director, said:

“We’re committed to working alongside the Scottish Government to open up our railway to as many communities as possible across Scotland. “This station will create new social and economic opportunities for people in Kintore and we are pleased to have been able to deliver the new facility for the town. “The north east’s rail network has benefitted from significant investment over the last five years to increase capacity and create more flexible journeys for passengers.”

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity said:

“This new station is clear evidence of the Scottish Government’s commitment to the north-east. It comes hot on the heels of line dualling between Aberdeen and Inverurie and the introduction of an Inverurie and Montrose Crossrail service.
“By providing a rail interchange that offers significant parking provision with the largest electric vehicle charging facility in the north east, as well as cycle storage facilities and bus links, we are making the decision to switch from private car to train even easier. “It also offers wider regional benefits by removing the need to drive into Aberdeen city centre, with that reducing congestion and emissions.”

Share post
Other newsAnother brick in the wall – key milestone reached in Dawlish02 August, 2021arrowarrow