Aberdeen Crossrail is a proposed railway development in north-east Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, first proposed within the 2003 Scottish Strategic Rail Study. It is supported by NESTRANS

NESTRANS

Nestrans is a partnership between Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council which was a voluntary partnership until it was made statutory by the then Scottish Executive now Scottish Government, in 2006. Its main role is to develop and deliver strategic transport plans across the North East...

 the north-east's voluntary regional transport partnership.

It proposed upgrading existing train services from Aberdeen

Aberdeen railway station

Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.- History :...

 to Inverurie

Inverurie railway station

Inverurie railway station is a railway station serving the town of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....

 to a regular half-hourly service, adding more services between Aberdeen and Stonehaven

Stonehaven railway station

Stonehaven railway station serves the town of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Despite its small size, it is a calling point for a large number of services going both North to Aberdeen and South to Edinburgh and Glasgow...

, and opening new stations along existing lines in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

. It could also bring about the re-opening of lines and stations between Aberdeen and the towns of Peterhead

Peterhead

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....

 and Banchory

Banchory

Banchory is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, lying approximately 18 miles west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.- Overview :...

.

The project is seen as vital in reducing traffic congestion within Aberdeen. Currently, only 12% of north-east residents live within 1 km of a railway station, but if all of the Crossrail proposals were to go ahead, this could potentially rise to 25%. This would aid commuting into the city centre and provide a viable alternative to using the car.

Feasibility study

The Scottish Executive

Scottish Executive

The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...

began a £400,000 feasibility study into the project in June 2005, the outcome of which was expected to be announced by March 2007.

External links

• Scottish Executive SSRS Study