14-08-2025:
- Kirkcudbright - the old station site and the trackbed between it and the northern edge of the town are now completely built-over, mainly with residential properties. A new station would have to be built at the northern edge of the town. There never was a Royal Navy Deep Sea Portal, as Kirkcudbright was only a fishing port during the railway's lifetime.
- Castle Douglas - only part of the Kirkcudbright branch trackbed is blocked by houses, and would be impossible to reuse without the demolition of at least 11 properties. The Dumfries - Stranraer main line route is obstructed by an industrial estate (on the old station site); a Tesco's supermarket, one short row of houses: the A75 Castle Douglas bypass, and another industrial estate just north of the bypass. To clear the main-line route through Castle Douglas, the following steps would need to be taken:
- Clear the main-line tracks alignment through the old station site (by removing part of the industrial estate, and the Tesco's supermarket). The new station could then be on the site of the original one.
- Unblock the infilled railway bridge beneath the A745.
- Rebuild the landscaped trackbed across the public park.
- Clear, and widen the cutting beyond the park.
- Realign the railway to avoid the short row of houses, pass beneath the A75 bypass further east of the existing A713 overpass, and to avoid the industrial estate just north of the bypass. The line would then swing back onto its original trackbed just north of the Stewartry Rugby Club, which currently straddles the trackbed.
- Timber transport by rail, to remove as much of it as possible from the local road network, should be the top freight priority.
- Sustainable nature - the railway would offer a much faster way to cross Dumfries and Galloway than will ever be possible by road. A direct link with the Borders Railway at Mossband Junction - by reinstating the dismantled North-East chord there, and by using the existing Carlisle - Kilmarnock - Glasgow line between Gretna Junction and Dumfries - would create a direct Edinburgh - Borders - Galloway - Stranraer/Cairnryan rail route. This has never existed before, and would effectively be the Edinburgh - Belfast/Dublin main line (via the Cairnryan - Northern Ireland ferries). Lastly, the highly scenic nature of the Port Road (as the Dumfries - Stranraer route is commonly known), its fame for this before closure, plus the fact that it would have returned from the dead, would likely attract railtours to it, especially from Carlisle which is very frequently visited by such trains. This would boost the region's image, and make it more widely known, even internationally. The former engine shed site at Stranraer is now just abandoned, not built-over, and if the original turntable pit still exists underneath infill, then it could be cleared out, and returned to use with a new turntable. This would allow visiting steam locomotives to be turned at Stranraer, greatly increasing its attractiveness to railtour operators.
- Cairnryan - a rail link to serve the 2 ferry ports there could easily be built from Stranraer by reusing the mostly intact and largely unobstructed trackbed of the former World War Two military railway.
- Scottish Parliament - I have been told that both the local SNP and Green politicians are in favour. Also, in the past few weeks, SWestrans (South West of Scotland Transport Partnership) have made a funding application for a feasibility study into reopening the Dumfries - Stranraer line. The idea of reopening the railway is growing at Holyrood.
- AOB - A direct, northward link between the Glasgow - Kilmarnock - Carlisle line and the West Coast Main Line could be built between Annan and Kirtlebridge, by reusing the mostly intact trackbed of the Solway Junction Railway (SJR). A new section in Annan; three new overbridges to replace demolished originals; the removal of the redundant pipeline from Chapelcross power station (which helped preserve the SJR route through Annan); a new bridge under the A75 Annan bypass; the digging-out of a blocked cutting, and a slight realignment of the route to join the WCML just south of the existing A74(M) overpass (as the original Kirtlebridge junction site is now directly beneath the overpass) at Kirtlebridge would be all that is needed to create that link.
- If anyone supports the railway idea and want to work with us or help lead on tackling these matters beit edge-of-town Parkway Stations, new-build, deviations and rail bypasses for end-to-end gains, then please email info@brtarail.com
06-08-2025
Press Release
British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) calls for a
reopening process for a new-build Dumfries-Kirkcudbright, Stranraer and Ayrshire
Coast rail link.
BRTA fully supports the idea of a rebuild of the former Port
Patrick railway and the arm to Kirkcudbright. The link with a west to north curve
onto the Ayrshire Coast Railway would inform a triangle rail network out of
Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively and vice versa as well as a new-flow of
rail-based market share for trains to and from the Galloway area with England
too.
It is BRTA’s view that rebuilding this strategic rail link
would:
·
Boost
employment and regeneration of the corridors and places the railway would serve
·
Bring
sustainable visitorship and serve many supply chains sustainably
·
Cut
the volumes of traffic – people and goods along the A75 corridor and give a
direct rail alternative for optimal use.
·
Help
save land for other uses including farming, conservation, employment, housing
and retain open spaces.
BRTA calls on councils, agencies, the
Scottish Government and public-at-large to get behind this idea and support it
all the way to delivery. In particular we call for pooling of resources for:
·
Studying
the proposition, working it up and making the robust case it deserves
·
BRTA
calls for the whole railway route, corridor and deviation spaces to be
protected and safeguarded for keeping this vital strategic rail link option ‘open’
for the short to medium term.
·
That
any planning proposal which may infringe the old route to be turned-down in
order to retain the integrity of the route and make the reopening as easy, cost-effective,
and straight-forward as possible.
·
BRTA
aims to facilitate a forum based at Dumfries to which all are welcome to
attend, but aims to have local people join BRTA and help as a loose team, to
take the railway proposition forward: BRTA DUMFRIES FORUM
Saturday 9 August 2025 1pm lunch
2-4pm business
Venue: Robert the Bruce, 81-83
Buccleuch Street, Dumfries DG1 1DJ Venue Website: www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/robert-the-bruce-dumfries
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