Campaign Latest
A decision due this summer?
Aug 2025
In May, the Transport Minister visited Newburgh to 'see for herself' the case for a station.
The Minister asked for officials to send her feedback on a station appraisal by the end of May - reason to believe a decision will come soon...
Minister of Transport, Fiona Hyslop
From the town
A town deserving a station
Local people and politicians talking about poor transport and how a reopened staton will bring about positive change.
Campaign Latest
A transformative station
Coming into Newburgh from Ladybank and on to Perth - Photo Ingrid Haas
Public transport remains underused
And for the 20% of residents who rely on buses, travelling can be a slog. Wait times can be long – made longer by too many cancelled buses. For them, access to health and education beyond the town, particularly for those with limited mobility, is often difficult.
Opportunities to develop business are limited without a station. Why set up in Newburgh when there are other nearby towns connected to rail?
The people of Newburgh want their station reopened. Residents mostly use their cars to get to work, to visit friends and to shop. Many use their cars – and to get to the nearest station to catch a train!
With a station, business in Newburgh can flourish.
It could be a great town for new businesses, particularly tourism. Newburgh can become a more prosperous place, actively contributing to the Scottish economy.
In December last year, the Newburgh Train Station Campaign, together with South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStrans) and Fife Council, submitted a transport appraisal to Transport Scotland. According to the Transport Minister, we should get to know the outcome very soon.
It is time to get Newburgh back on track.
A good case for a station?
Healthier Environment
A new Active Travel Route will soon connect Newburgh with the National Cycle Network. It will provide a safe, green, healthy way to travel. But without adequate public transport, the number of vehicles on the town’s main road will continue to increase. A new train station will encourage more car drivers to leave their vehicles at home. Fewer cars, less pollution – a state of play the Government will surely encourage.
Easier Health Visits
For many people with no access to a car, getting to health centres across Fife and beyond can be very demanding. Journeys times can be long, often with the need for one or two changes to reach a destination. A mild inconvenience for most, a barrier to health for some. Easy access to health services is a right. With a station, A hospital visit to Kirkcaldy could be done in under an hour.
Attracting Business
Newburgh has all the potential to become prosperous again – a net contributor to Scotland’s economy. It is a vibrant place to live and could be an attractive place to work. Tourism has real potential to flourish. But without reliable public transport, businesses will not be drawn to the town. Buses do not provide the connection, it seems. To attract inward investment Newburgh needs to be fully connected to the rest of Scotland and for this, it needs a rail station.
Job Opportunities
Without a car, the job horizon shrinks. Poor public transport limits ambitions to find better work further afield. Travel times and lack of connection rules out taking work in many Scottish job hot-spots. This lack of opportunity drives many to leave Newburgh to find work elsewhere. A regular train service would be a game-changer. Faster journeys to points further away would open up a world of opportunity for the town.
Access to Education
Relying on the bus for educational opportunities in Fife can be difficult. Daily travel to colleges beyond Fife can prove harder still. And even attending night courses in nearby towns can be a problem. Access to education and training opportunities is a right. A train service will put in reach more apprenticeships, universities, and colleges across Scotland that are not currently reachable using public buses.
Being better connected
A train station means easy travel. A night out in Edinburgh should not start with a drive to Ladybank station! A train stop in Newburgh means far less need for a car. Travelling by train gives easier access to museums, city nightlife, connections to family, friends and more. Newburgh can feel like a 100 miles from anywhere sometimes. A station will allow the people of Newburgh to fully connect to the life of Scotland - and for the people of Scotland to more readily visit the town!
Newburgh can prosper
Tourism
With better transport, tourism could flourish in Newburgh. It is a town with history, quirky traditions and set in beautiful surrounds. However, its development, is compromised when, for most, the only way to get here is by car.
Newburgh's origins date back to the 12th century and the founding of Lindores Abbey. At one time, Newburgh's extensive orchards made it the fruit town of Scotland. Later, saw the growth of thriving industry, fishing and a commercial harbour.
The town is the start or end point of the increasingly popular Fife Coastal Path. But it doesn't serve walkers well for lack of facilities. It is worse at weekends, where buses are few and taxis rare! The one public convenience the town did have was demolished by the council!
Unless there is a significant uplift in bus services, visitors will continue to use the car. Realistically, the town can only realise the potential of green tourism by having a train station. To be in line with the the Government's strategy for carbon free transport by 2045, this surely should be a no-brainer.
Newburgh wants to contribute to the Scottish economy. Developing tourism is one sure way of doing this.
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Birdlife is abundant, with ospreys nesting on the River Earn
Newburgh community orchard continuing ancient traditions
Lindores Abbey distillery
The annual parade of Newburgh Caledonian Lodge of Oddfellows
The community-owned Loch Mill
The annual burning of the Bear
Newburgh's world-famous 'wonky' Christmas lights
Don't build a station - assemble it instead!
The benefits of modular design
The UK rail industry is increasingly adopting cost-effective, easy-to-assemble modular design techniques to upgrade or build new stations. This cheap, adaptable, sustainable construction method is very suited for building smaller stations.
Cheap - a single short-length platform between 10 and 15 metres in length can cost less than £300K.
Easy to build - modular design assembles pre-built components (or modules) in situ rather than constructing a station from scratch. No specialist skills are needed
Reduced carbon emission - delivery of pre-built, light-weight components, by road, requires far less transport than traditional builds.
Sustainable - Many newer modular designs use recycled material including wind turbines. Not using concrete is a far greener way of building a station.
Flexible - a modular station can be put in place cheaply and easily. It can be lengthened to meet increased passenger demand or removed if there is none.
We believe modular solutions are the right option for building a new Newburgh station.
Small stations with BIG impact
Newburgh wants a station that is proportionate to our needs. We propose a small halt. Costs can be kept low by building a simple 10 metre modular halt. No need for a fully featured full-length station bordering on £20 million
Beauly Station
A small halt with big commuter appeal
Beauly Station - how a simple Newburgh station might look like
Beauly station reopened in 2002. This short, single platform station with a single shelter and small car park was built for just £460,000*. The station saw 75% of local commuters switching from road to rail.
Beauly station is proof that low-cost stations can provide benefits far exceeding their size.
Conon Bridge
Conon Bridge station, west of Inverness
Quickly became a big hit with travellers
In early 2013, a new station costing in today's money £600,000 was opened at Conon Bridge near Inverness. In the months that followed, more than 2,000 journeys were made to and from it. The then Transport Minister Keith Brown said the numbers showed that it (the station) was an extremely worthwhile investment'.
* Bank of England Inflation calculator
Newburgh of the future with a station
September 2024
In September 2024, Lindores Abbey Distillery played host to a successful workshop run by Fife Council, SEStran and the NTSC which considered the business potential of Newburgh with a train station.
Where things stand
May 2025
Transport Minister visits Newburgh
The case for a reopened station was made to the Transport Minister by the NTSC. We expect a decision to be made before Parliament recess.
January 2025
Transform Scotland welcomes the NTRG as a new member
The campaign became a member of Transform Scotand, Scotland’s alliance for sustainable transport. Members include Scotrail, LNER, Stagecoach and other rail campaign groups.
December 2024
STAG appraisal submitted
The final part of the transport appraisal (STAG) has been submitted to Transport Scotland for review and comment.
STAG report
Appendix A
How did we get here?
Newburgh
Newburgh sits on the banks of the River Tay in beautiful North East Fife. Despite being just 40 odd miles north of Edinburgh and visible from both Perth and Dundee, it feels quite remote. It is the home of Scottish whisky and was once known as the fruit town of Scotland...
A drawing competition for pupils from Dunbog, Newburgh and Abernethy primary schools were asked for ideas for a Newburgh station logo. The results were inspiring. Our new campaign logo is based on the winning design.
Why not leave a message telling us what you think about public transport and what having a train station means to you.
The voices of Newburgh
Newburgh is behind a new station. Here is a cross-section of local opinions on current public transport and the possible reopening of a station
The campaign have produced a short film getting the views of Newburgh about the state of transport in the town.
They tell of poor public transport, reliance on the car and how a station would positively transform the town.
Filmmaker Heike Bachelier together with Stuart Jessiman, Ingrid Haas and Jeanette Sendler interviewed residents over a period of two years together with local politicians.
The film makes a strong case for a new rail station for Newburgh.
A town and a place
Director:
Heike Bachelier
Producer:
Stuart Jessiman
Story Editor:
Ingrid Haas
Camera:
Jeanette Sendler
Sound:
Kevin Cranston
