North-east transport chiefs say investment in preventing future landslips will need to feature as part of plans to encourage a massive shift towards rail use over the next decades.
Nestrans, which covers the local authority areas of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils, said that plans to increase safety must be rolled out as soon as possible when the line is restored.
The move will be welcomed by traders across Stonehaven, who have raised fears that the train crash might put people off visiting the town via rail.
The town’s business association has been trying desperately to attract people from across the UK to visit for a summer holiday to boost the local economy.
Sheila Howarth, of the Belvedere Hotel and Stonehaven Business Association, said: “It’s absolutely terrible news for the community and my thoughts go out to the families.
“The town has been working very hard to get tourists to visit the area and visit our shops – but this week has changed that.
“A lot of people travel by train – and I do worry they will be put off doing so now.”
Sandra Macdonald, chairwoman of Nestrans, said: “I expect the next priority would be to restore the service, as the rail link to the south of Aberdeen is hugely important to the whole region.
“Over the next 10 to twenty years there needs to be a shift from road to rail, and the railway line linking Aberdeen to the Central Belt and beyond needs to be of a standard that is not only safe and efficient, but is able to compete with the car.
“And that will require modern signalling systems, a double track the whole length of the journey, and extra investment to prevent landslips along the route.
“Just now, however, our focus is very much on the immediate needs of those affected the most, who will no doubt be looking for answers for how this disaster happened.”
