Plans for Grantown steam railway return to be unveiled
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Residents in the strath are being urged to attend a consultation to help keep plans on track to bring back steam locomotives to Grantown.
The Strathspey Railway Charitable Trust is to unveil plans tomorrow for the final phase of plans to connect Aviemore and the Strathspey capital by rail once more.
Key details of the R2G (Rails to Grantown) project will be on display including the proposed route of the railway to the new terminus station at Dulicht in the town.
The events are part of a programme of consultations leading up to the submission, later this year, of an TAWS Order for approval by Scottish Government Ministers.
At present the locos terminate at Broomhill by Dulnain Bridge although the nearby River Dulnain was bridged by the SRCT five years ago.
The biggest remaining obstacle for the final two miles of track is crossing the A95 Aviemore-Keith whisky road at Gaich just outside of Grantown.
Trust chairman John Yule said the consultation was part of the process ahead of submitting a formal application for permission for the line.
He said: "Hopefully the public will react positively to the proposals as the return of the railway will be a real boost to the town's economy.
"But we also want to hear from residents who may have some concerns with the project to understand how we can best address or mitigate those concerns.
"Local people may also be concerned with a lack of visible progress beyond the Dulnain Bridge and over Muckrach Estate toward the planned Gaich road crossing.
"However, we are currently in active discussions with the estate’s local agents and hope to be able to make visible ground progress in that direction next year.”
Trustees will be on hand to answer questions and record people's comments.
The plans on display will show details of the Gaich road/rail crossing; the line of the railway through Grantown from Glenbeg bridge to the new Dulicht terminus and illustrations of the two platform station and the buildings proposed for it in the horse field opposite Grantown Caravan Park.
The two public drop ins are to be held at the town's former library in the YMCA Community Centre tomorrow from 3pm to 8pm and Saturday (August 31) from 2pm to 5pm.
The Aviemore-Grantown connection was axed more than 50 years ago as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Strathspey Railway was founded by a group of railway enthusiasts in 1971.
It began operating tourist heritage steam trains between Boat of Garten and Aviemore in 1978 and the long held ambition has always been to complete the line to the Strathspey capital.
