Why Cumnock station should be rebuilt.

Cumnock (pop. 9300*) used to have two railway stations, one on the Sou'western main line, and one on the now dismantled line to Muirkirk. The station on the sou'western line was closed in 1965, along with the stations at Auchinleck (pop. 3500) and New Cumnock (pop. 3100). The latter stations were reopened in 1984 and 1991 respectively, but Cumnock was not. This seems odd, considering the larger size of Cumnock. I believe it's time to rebuild the old staion (the site of which is now occupied by a nursing home). This will give the residents of Cumnock easier access to Kilmarnock and Glasgow, and provide jobs in an area of high unemployment.
I also believe the sou'western line should be electrified. This will not only provide a quieter, more pleasant train journey, but will also allow electric trains to be diverted from the WCML without the need to be dragged by a diesel locomotive, and will also allow electric trains access to Wabtec at Kilmarnock.

*Population statistics approximate from www.scrol.gov.uk
Station opening and closure dates from Wikipedia

Adam Ingram MSP for Cumnock and Doon Valley's website is www.adamingrammsp.org
If you are interested in rail reopenings , join Raifuture at www.railfuture.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• rail
• reopenings
• Cumnock
• railfuture
• Beeching

[bkat1973]

Where exactly could the station be placed? The line is not ideal to the populated area.

[SteamboatWilley]

@bkat1973 New Cumnock Station isn't exactly in the middle of the town either. Same goes for many other stations in Britain, such as Barrhill and Girvan, which are both right on the edge of town. Unfortunately, Victorian Railway Builders were often constrained as to where they could put stations. Passenger convenience often came second place to availability of land.

[Ayrshire1trains]

What a good idea it would help Cumnock .meaning that people that in Cumnock colud go green

[07honda]

Could not agree more, also extend the line to Muirkirk or further and run Coal Trains instead of lorrys on the A70.

Line needs to be upgraded to electric, plenty of wind to get the power from on that line!

[stormjib3]

Totally agree, a mainline station for such a large populated town is a must. Since Thatcher closed all the pits there has been little or no investment for the employment needs of the area. The young need a rail link to enhance job prospects in Kilmarnock/Glasgow.