BAM Nuttall awarded new Kintore station contract

The £14.5m station will reconnect Kintore to the rail network for the first time in 56 years.

Funded by Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans, the new station will have step-free access between platforms through a footbridge with lifts.

Providing an interchange between rail and road, the station will have around 170 car parking spaces, bike storage and connect into the local bus network.

The station will be constructed over the next 12 months and is due to enter service in May 2020. All Aberdeen-Inverness trains will call at the station.

The original Kintore station opened in 1854, but closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.

Reopening Kintore has been made possible by the double-tracking of the line between Aberdeen-Inverurie delivered as part of the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project.

Funded by the Scottish Government, the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project will reduce journey times and increase capacity on the route between the two cities.

The benefits of the project for ScotRail customers include:

• More services between Elgin and Inverness, increasing during 2019 until there is an hourly service all day, providing 1,300 additional seats.
• A half-hourly service all day between Inverurie and Aberdeen with extra services at peak times, providing 3,000 additional seats each day.
• Additional Elgin-Aberdeen early morning and late evening services.
• InterCity trains operating between Aberdeen and Inverness, providing an extra 1,400 each day between the two cities.
• A new direct service between Inverurie and Montrose, reducing the need to change in Aberdeen.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: ‘This Scottish Government is committed to improving rail links across the country and this latest contract award is a milestone in doing so for people in the North East of Scotland. Our continued rail investment is providing new infrastructure, improved rolling stock, increased capacity and the enhanced timetables to deliver more services on the Aberdeen to Inverness route. This will make rail a more attractive travel choice, helping encourage more people out of their cars and onto trains.’

Peter Argyle, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee and Chair of Regional Transport Partnership Nestrans, said: ‘Aberdeenshire Council and Nestrans have worked closely with Transport Scotland and the rail industry to secure this key investment in our regional transport infrastructure.  We are pleased to see this important milestone reached, in order to secure the long waited for benefits for the community of Kintore and surrounding area.’

Graeme Stewart, Network Rail Senior Sponsor, said: ‘The new Kintore station will reconnect the local community to the rail network for the first time in nearly six decades. BAM Nuttall, as the main contractor on the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project, is perfectly placed to deliver this new facility and we look forward to working closely with them to complete the work as quickly as possible.’