ScotRail’s boss has said the old line linking Peterhead to Aberdeen should be reopened to help improve public transport in the north-east.
Alex Hynes backed campaigners fighting for the resurrection of the Buchan and Formartine railway, which was shut in the 1960s, as part of a national restructuring of the railways in the UK.
Much of the track was subsequently lifted and now forms the Formartine and Buchan Way, a long-distance footpath and cycle path.
Mr Hynes, managing director of ScotRail and Network Rail Scotland, said he’d “love to see line reopenings in the north-east of Scotland”.
He said the decision on reopening the line was down to ministers but indicated the Peterhead line should be on the agenda. Previously it has been estimated that reopening the line as far as Ellon would cost £380 million.
Mr Hynes said: “If we want to create a bigger and better railway for Scotland, which is basically our mission, in some cases line reopenings have their part to play.”
When asked which lines in particular, he answered “Peterhead”.
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Mr Hynes also indicated that plans to dual the East Coast line at Montrose had been kicked into the long grass.
He said studies had indicated the £200m earmarked for improving journey times would be better spent on signalling.
On reopening the Peterhead line, a Transport Scotland spokesman said funding of transport infrastructure would be informed by its second Strategic Transport Projects Review.
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