A north-east station gets ‘full steam ahead’ after local authority agrees to help bridge £1.2m funding gap.
The multi-million pound plan to re-open mothballed Kintore station has secured 50% funding from the Scottish Stations fund meaning councillors are “optimistic” that the first trains could pull up in 2018.
The total estimated value of the project is £12.2m now has £6.1m secured by the Scottish Stations Fund bid.
Councillor Richard Thomson, chairman of the Policy and Resource Committee welcomed the news and added:
“I have heard of two similar funds awarded to other Scottish stations that received 60% funding, so this has set some precedent that we should also receive an extra 10% funding. This is a figure of £600,000 or £700,000 that we and Nestrans now do not need to find.”
Aberdeenshire council Policy and Resource committee agreed to bridge the remaining gap of £1.9m, which will not include the project’s £3.5m contingency or “optimism bias”.
Councillor for Central Buchan Norman Smith said: “We are all very much looking forward to this station; it will help relieve congestion on the roads network.”
Adding to this Councillor Karen Clark said: “Let’s use our ‘optimism bias’ on this project and be very optimistic that it will complete on time and on budget.”
