Councillors are being asked to get behind a funding bid to reinstate a historic railway stop-off in an Aberdeenshire town.
The Garioch area committee will next week be asked to back the business case for Kintore Rail Station, with a completion date of December 2018.
Members are also being asked to welcome the submission of a Scottish Station Fund (SSF) bid to Network Rail in order to raise cash for the project.
It is hoped the formal submission can be made in August this year.
A report going before Tuesday’s committee states the project could cost £11million.
The scheme would be part of a £170million rail improvement scheme between Aberdeen and Inverness which will involve doubling up the line on the route to allow for increased passenger services.
The council’s head of infrastructure services, Stephen Archer, said: “The provision of Kintore Station forms an integral part of the delivery of the wider Aberdeen to Inverness track re-doubling project, and needs to be programmed to coincide with works on the wider projects.
“The proposal provides rail access to (the) community of Kintore, with easy access from surrounding towns such as Kemnay and proposed new developments to the south of Inverurie.
“It will provide competitive and reliable journey times into the centre of Aberdeen, and is considered to have a transformative impact on the area.
“A number of elements are currently being progressed in parallel to deliver this station in time for opening in December 2018.”
Between three and four services per hour could operate to Kintore once the station is up and running.
However, the council will have to obtain the land for the station through a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the scheme to progress.
Kintore’s rail station was closed in 1964 after serving for years as a junction between the now non-existent Alford line and Aberdeen. Currently trains pass through Kintore but don’t stop.
The new station would be located off of Northern Road and may have space for 180 cars, passenger facilities and a new access road.
The project is being delivered by the council, Nestrans and Network Rail.
The council’s policy and resources committee and Nestrans are also being asked to get behind the funding bid in June.
