Aberdeen Crossrail facts for kids

The Aberdeen Crossrail is a plan to improve train services in Scotland. It was first suggested in 2003. This project is supported by Nestrans, a group that helps plan transport in the north-east of Scotland.

The main goal of Crossrail is to create a regular train service that goes across the city. This service would connect Inverurie, Aberdeen, and Stonehaven. It also includes opening new train stations.

The plan suggests making the train service from Aberdeen to Inverurie run every half hour. It also aims to add more trains between Aberdeen and Stonehaven. New stations would open along the existing lines in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The project could also lead to old train lines and stations reopening. These lines would connect Aberdeen to towns like Fraserburgh, Peterhead, and Banchory.

This project is very important for reducing traffic jams in Aberdeen. Right now, only about 12% of people in the north-east live close to a train station. If all the Crossrail plans happen, this number could go up to 25%. This would make it easier for people to travel into the city centre. It would also give them a good choice instead of using a car.

The Big Idea: Connecting Cities

The Aberdeen Crossrail project aimed to have a train running every 15 minutes. These trains would connect Inverurie, Aberdeen, and Stonehaven. The plan also included reopening train stations at Kintore, Altens, and Newtonhill.

Checking if it's Possible

In June 2005, the Scottish Executive started a study to see if the project was possible. This study cost £400,000. A report in 2010 showed that the project's costs would be higher than the money made from ticket sales. This was true whether trains ran every 15 or 30 minutes.

This study suggested that Crossrail could be built step-by-step. Nestrans' plan for trains from 2010 to 2021 looked at how to improve services quickly. This would lead to new stations opening, like at Kintore. More big improvements would happen over time.

Network Rail also completed a detailed study. This study looked at ways to improve the train line from Aberdeen to Inverness. It also considered a new station at Kintore. The report was shared in March 2011. It confirmed that trains could run every hour and the journey would take two hours. A more detailed study was planned to finish in 2012.

Making it Happen

Laurencekirk railway station opened in May 2009.

In March 2016, Transport Scotland announced that the Crossrail plan would go ahead. This was part of a bigger change to train timetables in 2018. The new service would run between Inverurie and Montrose. It would stop at all existing stations and a new one at Kintore. The Kintore station was planned for 2019, but opened in May 2020.

The section of the line from Aberdeen to Inverurie now has trains running every 30 minutes. Improvements to the Aberdeen to Inverness line were also completed. This included adding a second track from Aberdeen to Inverurie. These changes were part of a £170 million project to upgrade the route.

In 2019, the line between Aberdeen and Inverurie was improved. This allowed more trains to run more often. This work was part of the Aberdeen to Inverness Improvement Project.

Kintore railway station officially opened in October 2020.

See Also

• Edinburgh Crossrail
• Crossrail Glasgow