The Starlink campaign also made a submission to the St Andrews & East Fife Local Plan (see below) and awaits developments with interest. Incredibly, Fife Council appeared to be arguing that building a railway could not be justified because of the ’significant negative environmental impact’ its construction would cause, which it apparently considered to be as bad as that of a new road! However this did not appear to be a consideration for a new St Andrews Link Road or a Cupar Relief Road (i.e. bypass).

It is likely that there will be a Public Enquiry later this year. Read More...

The Starlink campaign received a welcome boost from the submission by Railfuture Scotland to the Local Plan consultation (see below). Read More...

Results of a survey of visitors to the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council exhibition on the local plan have shown overwhelming support for a rail connection to St Andrews, continuing the pattern of previous surveys, but this time the responders were mainly St Andrews residents as opposed to visitors. Furthermore, Professor Christopher Harvie MSP has followed up his recent statement in the Scottish Parliament by joining the Starlink campaign. Read More...

The results of the Byre survey demonstrate the potential for modal shift, the Starlink campaign claimed. Read More...

The Courier reported that a survey carried out at the Byre Theatre demonstrated more support for a railway line to St Andrews. Read More...

In the St Andrews Citizen, comparing Guildford with St Andrews, it was noted that Guildford has two railway stations whereas St Andrews has none. Read More...

An SNP MSP today urged the building of a railway to St Andrews so that school pupils from Tayport and Newport could travel in by train rather than bus. Read More...

The Starlink campaign gained valuable publicity tonight thanks to the Friends of the Byre Theatre.
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In a letter to the Fife Herald the Starlink convenor expressed support for the long-running campaign to re-open Newburgh station. Read More...

Responding to a claim from the roads lobby that spending on rail was disproportionately high compared to its usage, Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston pointed out that the rail network was considerably smaller than the road system. Read More...

In a letter to the East Fife Mail the Starlink convenor urges packaging the Leven and St Andrews re-openings so as to be mutually beneficial. Read More...

Similar questionnaire results to those from the Scottish Seniors Open were obtained at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the Old Course this month, with 66% of those who drove to St Andrews saying they would use a train were one available. Read More...

The first issue of The Saint, the University of St Andrews student newspaper, carried the report of the Scottish Senior Open questionnaire and noted the Principal's support for the idea. Read More...

It was reported that a rail link for St Andrews is still a popular option for the majority of people who visit the town. Read More...

Initial results of a short questionnaire administered during the Scottish Seniors Open Golf championship at Fairmont near St Andrews show overwhelming support for a railway to the town and evidence that such a service could persuade motorists to leave their cars at home.

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The Starlink campaign congratulated Alloa upon its inclusion on a list of lines to be electrified and observed that, if Alloa could sustain a rail service then so could St Andrews. Read More...

The Starlink campaign will have a presence at a prestigious golf championship this week near St Andrews. Read More...

Criticism of the rail service serving Leuchars has been roundly refuted, not by the rail industry but by a retired statistics lecturer. Read More...

Ted Brocklebank MSP (Mid Scotland & Fife) and St Andrews resident David Middleton have both claimed that the current public transport options serving St Andrews are inadequate. Read More...

A Collins ‘Scottish Place Names’ booklet, a free gift in The Scotsman describes St Andrews as ‘still’ not having a railway station. Read More...

A retired statistics lecturer has defended the proposed expansion of Leuchars Station car-park, claiming that people cannot be forced out of cars on to public transport and took another swipe at the Starlink campaign, saying the extra time involved would disadvantage passengers and that no rail service had been provided for environmental reasons. Read More...

Starlink criticises the SESTRAN proposal to expand Leuchars station car-park by 100 spaces as likely to increase car use and demands a coherent transport strategy for St Andrews rather than just tinkering at the edges. Read More...

In the (Glasgow) Herald, Starlink draws attention to the shortcomings of the Scottish rail network which, ‘thanks to the myopic vandalism of the 1960s, all too often does not go where travellers want to go’. Read More...

The anonymous correspondent of 27th February, using the name ‘Future Jack’ responds, saying they thought that it would be a good idea to safeguard the site because there have been other instances where sites have been built upon which would have been better safeguarded for future use. Read More...

Another anonymous correspondent to the St Andrews Citizen pours scorns upon the whole idea of a railway, calling it a ‘white elephant’. Read More...

An anonymous correspondent to the St Andrews Citizen suggests using the closed Curtis Paper Mill site at Guardbridge for part of a new line to St Andrews. Read More...

The St Andrews Preservation Trust, in its formal response to the proposed Government modifications to Fife’s Structure Plan, has expressed concern over the absence of any firm commitment to a green transport link to St Andrews. Read More...

The Starlink campaign has formally responded to the proposed Government modifications to Fife’s Structure Plan, objecting to the change from safeguarding ‘land for a railway line and station’ to ‘the St Andrews public transport link’, because it reduces the protection from development of the new routes which have been identified as possible alignments for a railway line. Read More...

In a letter to the St Andrews Citizen Judy Gillespie calls for the restoration of the railway line as part of the way to improve the town. Read More...

In the St Andrews Citizen Jane Ann Liston said it was high time the town got connected to the rail network again. Read More...

In the Courier Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston said that 40 years after the last train ran into St Andrews, a so-called virtual branch line was not enough for such a major visitor destination and income generator. Read More...

Exactly 40 years ago the last train rolled into St Andrews station. Since then the town has been marooned from the rail network and accessible only by road, which explains why it is packed full of cars. Read More...