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<title>StARLink News</title><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/index.php</link><description>Campaign news</description><dc:language>en-gb</dc:language><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2008 JAL</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-01-04T23:09:00+00:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:28:30 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>Forty Years After</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-04T23:09:00+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/cf54d03be06bc03c6a3ed0b6a8f3c106-51.php#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/cf54d03be06bc03c6a3ed0b6a8f3c106-51.php#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Since 4th January 1969 when the rail connection was severed by British Rail&rsquo;s cull of branch lines, St Andrews has been at a disadvantage when it comes to being easily accessed by tourists, students and commuters. ...  The result of this dependency upon the motor-car can be easily seen in the main streets, which is more than can be said for the historic architecture, all too often obscured by boots and bonnets. ...  You may well not have realised that this has come into effect but it has, in the shape of telling rail passengers when the buses run to St Andrews and offering them the chance to purchase a combined rail and bus ticket, although this is no cheaper than buying the tickets separately as before.   The Scottish Government assures us that this will cut journey times, which shows just how unacquainted they are with the realities of the situation; any traveller could tell them that the buses and trains are already going as fast as they can and the only possibility for cutting journey times is to shorten the period between bus and train at Leuchars, yet no extra buses are being provided, the buses are not a dedicated connecting service and neither is the timetable being amended to fit in better. ...  Forty years in the wilderness for such a major visitor destination and income generator is long enough; if a rail connection is good enough for Bathgate, Alloa and Laurencekirk it is long overdue for St Andrews.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x27;Doesn&#x27;t St Andrews deserve world-class transportation?&#x27; asks American</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-09-12T11:34:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9e800760035aa7cb6ba88a407f6feb54-50.php#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9e800760035aa7cb6ba88a407f6feb54-50.php#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[See previous entry.   Mr Rosenberg asks 'Doesn't St Andrews deserve world class transportation?'   One would have thought the answer was obvious.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>American calls for railway to &#x27;Jewel of Scotland&#x27;</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-09-10T12:00:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6915e24e484f978b357d17c939d23cde-46.php#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6915e24e484f978b357d17c939d23cde-46.php#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When Mr K.   Rosenberg of Portland retires  to Scotland, and St Andrews is high on his list of preferred retirement locations, he will not have a car.   However he does not relish co-ordinating bus and train times at Leuchars, particularly in the cold rain and chilly east winds of winter.   Mr Rosenberg is surprised that St Andrews, which he calls the 'Jewel of Scotland', lacks a rail link, despite its world-wide renown, especially being a tourist centre, and calls for Fife Council and the Government to support and fund  this 'vital link'.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Economist&#x27;s verdict on St Andrews line and Starlink&#x27;s reaction to &#x27;virtual railway&#x27;</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-18T23:20:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6f075868b98fa547797381cc6e15ed86-45.php#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6f075868b98fa547797381cc6e15ed86-45.php#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr McAlister bases his opinion upon the fact that when the line was built in the nineteenth century there was no alternative to the railway other than the horse and cart, whereas now there are cars and buses. ...  He quite rightly points out that account has to be taken of 'social costs such as pollution and congestion caused by cars and buses which keeping the line open could have avoided'. 

...The evidence suggests that there would indeed be such a transfer, judging by other rail re-openings; surely no-one is suggesting that the Alloa passengers are all new travellers? 

...They do not seem to realise that the main delay in a bus & rail trip to/from St Andrews is the time at Leuchars between the arrival of one transport mode and the departure of the other; only by reducing that gap will journey times be improved.   In fact, as bus passengers currently buy their tickets on boarding the bus, unless the joint ticket is also available upon boarding then having to go to St Andrews Bus Station to buy it might well lengthen the total journey time!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Yet another taxi-driver&#x27;s outburst</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-11T22:11:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/a8c4682a065ac7eaebb8fb2a2d8e446d-44.php#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/a8c4682a065ac7eaebb8fb2a2d8e446d-44.php#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the St Andrews Citizen Stuart Winton expresses his extreme scepticism about the idea of a railway to St Andrews, doubting that it would make a difference to traffic in Cupar and St Andrews or that car-drivers would switch to rail. ...  Like Ms Batchelor's letter last week and Mr Beech's the week before I will not be dignifying it with a response.   Mr Winton has sent me a long e-mail about the intricacies of the taxi-business (thankfully, he was considerate enough not to inflict it upon the readers of the Citizen) which is no doubt very interesting but really quite irrelevant to the Starlink campaign.   He would do better to send his complaints about taxi-licensing to Fife Council, who could do something about them, rather than to me.   The local taxi service has of course evolved over the years to fit the existing market, that is, without a railway to St Andrews. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Taxi Association says &#x27;no room for car-parking&#x27;</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-04T22:13:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0c02b57091952b69832178f87968ab94-43.php#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0c02b57091952b69832178f87968ab94-43.php#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Jane Batchelor insisted that there would be no room for car-parking at a St Andrews station because the building would occupy the whole site.   Strange how taxi-drivers are experts in designing railway stations, especially when the precise site has not even been identified!   The standard of Ms Batchelor's arguments can be measured by her assertion that Jane Ann Liston's view is 'blinkered by the fact that a rail link would suit her travelling needs'.   Is the chair of the taxi association really suggesting that the campaign would be more credible if its supporters had no intention of ever using a St Andrews railway?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Former taxi/bus driver again naysaying but support from Dunino lady&#x2c; as well as a rebuttal of East Fife Taxi Association </title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-27T21:52:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0a3a8f638943b9315434f00bd3788e74-42.php#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0a3a8f638943b9315434f00bd3788e74-42.php#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Furthermore, he claims there would be no room for any car-parking but as far as I know no-one has produced a design for the station so it is not clear how he can be so certain of this.


...For a start, the Starlink campaign has never suggested that a new station should have no car-parking, or be accessible only by walking or cycling, and I know of no-one else who has.

...However the townsfolk also fed up of being swamped by cars, and in addition I would guess that the inhabitants of Cupar, Dairsie and even Guardbridge are also sick of an increased stream of St Andrews-bound cars trundling through their settlements every time somebody somewhere has a holiday or even just when it's a nice day. 

...However, with the increasing numbers of people who visit the town it is clear that there would still be plenty of work for taxis both at Leuchars and St Andrews, and a series of short runs of a mile or so have to be more cost-effective than sitting for up to five hours at Leuchars on the off-chance of a fare and perhaps having to run back 6 miles to town empty at the end of it.

There can be little doubt that a railway would be good for St Andrews and the surrounding area, and it is clear from the messages of support that the Starlink campaign continues to receive that an increasing number of people appreciate this.']]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another blast from the taxi industry</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-20T19:55:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/8915700f4710abf5c0bcdc6472507d5e-41.php#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/8915700f4710abf5c0bcdc6472507d5e-41.php#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The effect of the increasing number of cars, including all the ones Ms Batchelor insists that people always use rather than any public transport at holiday weekends, is apparently of no consequence.   She also claims that Starlink is proposing a station without extra car-parking and so would only be accessible on foot or by bicycle; I have no idea whence that idea has come.


...Would that be the one from nearly 10 years ago which only looked at passengers already using Leuchars rather than finding potential new ones, and which even Fife Council agreed was flawed and was not by any means the last word on the subject? 

...The point is that for whatever reason St Andreans, and people visiting or working in the town, are in the main not taking the bus so the existing services are clearly not sufficient.


I'm afraid this looks like another blinkered view from the taxi business, not realising that their business would probably be boosted by a railway rather than harmed.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Case for railway line restated</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-19T19:49:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/15645070ee210c5d321325c1bdf5051b-40.php#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/15645070ee210c5d321325c1bdf5051b-40.php#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On the one hand he claims that a train would be little more than a 'glorified bus' and would attract few passengers, yet on the other hand he appears to be concerned that a railway attract so many people that it would affect his business.   This concern is understandable but it would be perverse to deny a major generator of income for the Scottish economy efficient, fast and environmental public transport on the grounds that it would take business from taxis.   The truth is that so many people travel in and out of St Andrews - tourists, students, commuters and golfers - that there would still be plenty of work for taxi-drivers.   I am grateful to Mr Winton for confirming what I have gathered from talking to other taxi-drivers and from my own observations, namely that taxi-drivers do indeed have to sit for hours at Leuchars awaiting a fare and frequently have to go back to St Andrews empty. 

...If visitors are deterred by high fuel prices, rather than take buses, which Mr Winton has rightly observed drivers are reluctant to do, it is likely that they will eschew St Andrews for more accessible places; there are, after all, other top golf courses which do have railway stations. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Taxi driver blasts Starlink campaign</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-18T11:46:18+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5d557efcea3016ba956642569037a682-39.php#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5d557efcea3016ba956642569037a682-39.php#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Stuart Winton claims a railway would be just a 'glorified bus service' and says that taxis can work out cheaper and are more seamless than buses, also that the buses carry only a handful of passengers.   In which case, why does the prospect of a railway line concern him so much?   He then confirms that he can sometimes wait hours at Leuchars for a fare, adding that if drivers get a hire from the station within an hour 'they're doing well'.   Which rather confirms my theory that taxi drivers would do better ferrying rail passengers little more than a mile from a St Andrews station to and from their homes in the town rather than doing a 6-mile run out to Leuchars and waiting up to 5 hours for another.


I'm afraid it would be perverse to keep St Andrews disconnected from the rail network for the convenience of taxi drivers; that really would be a case of the tail wagging the dog.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Support for St Andrews and rail renaissance</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-17T11:38:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f821bd63253a8320969dfac13e6ea24d-38.php#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f821bd63253a8320969dfac13e6ea24d-38.php#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pitlochry man says buses are enough</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-14T21:42:21+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/40d0dc54c0864230875bdd2dbd2e4688-37.php#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/40d0dc54c0864230875bdd2dbd2e4688-37.php#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr Lawrie claims that many people choose buses rather than trains because they are far cheaper and the that general public should not be expected to pay for new railway services because few ever use trains.   He seems oblivious to the fact that actually drivers are much more likely to take a train than a bus.   If buses were satisfactory then St Andrews would not have 20% more of its visitors arriving by car than the average Scottish town.   In fact even the Megabus service between St Andrews and Edinburgh was discontinued due to lack of use which hardly suggests hordes of passengers wanting to take a 56 mile journey taking the best part of 2 hours in a bus.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Money for railway cannot be justified&#x2c; claims St Andrean</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-13T14:34:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/1b407a411b1d6e998fb987d482cbcfde-36.php#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/1b407a411b1d6e998fb987d482cbcfde-36.php#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ken Reid cites the state of the roads in the housing schemes and in particular an overgrown bus-shelter and a damaged pavement as precluding the construction of a railway which would cost an 'obscene' amount of money.   He does not, however, appear to equate the state of the roads with heavy car usage due to the town's only being accessible by road.  He also appears to be a taxi aficionado, claiming that because the buses 'rarely' meet the trains at Leuchars people opt for a taxi to 'guarantee' their prompt arrival in St Andrews.   So now we have taxi infallibility, apparently!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sound case for a rail link to St Andrews</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-12T19:16:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5bc7bacc5af69b93db80caa5dc639ce0-35.php#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5bc7bacc5af69b93db80caa5dc639ce0-35.php#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr Marshall pointed out that saying St Andrews was well enough served because of Leuchars could equally well have been said about Alloa with respect to Stirling.   The Alloa trains could be extended to Culross and Dunfermline and hence to St Andrews and there could also be through services between St Andrews and Edinburgh.   He also remarked that even the relatively well-off, including the many tourists who visit St Andrews, were entitled to access sustainable transport and were more likely to change their behaviour if offered an alternative to the car.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pitlochry man claims St Andrews does not need a railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-10T19:02:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/07ccf8a288c327cae6b6e48f6fcd71f1-34.php#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/07ccf8a288c327cae6b6e48f6fcd71f1-34.php#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Kevin Lawrie claimed that there was no comparison between Alloa and St Andrews and in fact the latter was better served by trains than most places because of the number and frequency of trains stopping at Leuchars.   He further asserted that public money could be better spent than on a service which, he claimed, would be mainly used by a relatively well-off minority.


That is, of course, debatable.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lack of St Andrews railway &#x27;an anomaly&#x27;</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-06T18:40:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/3a202abc87896d0b73589fe66eba20f1-33.php#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/3a202abc87896d0b73589fe66eba20f1-33.php#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ms Liston pointed out that private motoring had greatly increased since the 1960s, defended the response to the recent questionnaire and observed that if buses were the answer to transporting rail passengers between Leuchars and St Andrews then they would be full and Leuchars car-park would be almost empty.   She also questioned the effectiveness of taxis sitting waiting for hours at Leuchars and perhaps having to return to St Andrews empty and claimed that traffic tail-backs at Easter and May had been increasing for several years.   She welcomed Alloa's new train service,  looked forward to Laurencekirk's  re-opening and supported the restoration of Leven's line but noted that none of those places attracted the numbers of visitors that St Andrews did nor were they as well known, hence the growing anomaly of St Andrews remaining disconnected.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>St Andrews needs rail link</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-03T12:27:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/ffd27e09f32a38c3b72faf20ee1894ab-32.php#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/ffd27e09f32a38c3b72faf20ee1894ab-32.php#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lawrence Marshall of Edinburgh pointed out that a link to Cupar would be more appropriate than the previous alignment due to most journeys going to and from the south rather than across the Tay.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Jewel&#x27;s missing link</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-02T01:58:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/7f9ad1229093653c7b528e46c5ef8366-31.php#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/7f9ad1229093653c7b528e46c5ef8366-31.php#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lawrence Marshall of Edinburgh called St Andrews 'one of the real jewels in the Scottish tourist crown'  which deserved nothing less than a south-facing rail link and hoped Fife Council and the Scottish Government would bring it about.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>National newspaper calls for better connection to St Andrews</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-01T17:25:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/65244f1fbfffced8720aebf2ad13dc4d-30.php#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/65244f1fbfffced8720aebf2ad13dc4d-30.php#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The editorial describes internal public transport links as 'increasingly frustrating for business and for commuters' as well as bad for the environment and asks why everything seems to be concentrated on the Central Belt.


'It is, frankly, a disgrace that every major town is not linked by an efficient rail network ... towns such as Melrose in the east, Lockerbie in the west and St Andrews in the north should all be easy commutes away.'


Quite.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More radio coverage</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-13T13:00:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/931c18eceb8b8d3229c09e7dbfc237c8-29.php#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/931c18eceb8b8d3229c09e7dbfc237c8-29.php#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Radio Tay interviewed Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston on its news programme.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Starlink on TV and radio</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-12T12:58:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/3d68b5d83460fb49a5ef3b7562858fca-28.php#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/3d68b5d83460fb49a5ef3b7562858fca-28.php#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[BBC Scotland featured the St Andrews rail campaign on Reporting Scotland and also on Radio Scotland's Morning Extra.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Former taxi-driver/bus driver states his views and Starlink reiterates case</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-23T12:40:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f8a08aab842b7e8b9b712ab6631f4635-27.php#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f8a08aab842b7e8b9b712ab6631f4635-27.php#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He questions the claim that trains are more comfortable than buses, or that bus fares between St Andrews and Leuchars are perceived as expensive compared with the rail fares, yet these are not the views of the Starlink campaign but of respondents to the questionnaire.


Mr Beech took issue with Jane Ann Liston's comments on Reporting Scotland about the traffic tailback on Easter Monday, blaming it instead upon roadworks and temporary traffic lights. 

...'The Starlink (St Andrews Rail Link) campaign is for the good of people who live in, work in or visit St Andrews rather than to benefit rail buffs, trainspotters or steam heritage devotees.   It is surely a matter of common sense that such a major generator of income for the Scottish economy as St Andrews be made as easily accessible as possible by fast, modern public transport.


However the fact remains that the ability to reach St Andrews by train would be a great advantage for the town and its businesses, residents and visitors, commuters and students. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MSP gets wrong end of stick - but council&#x27;s deputy leader supports study</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-14T11:38:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9b6b86335c78e98d5580dbd807effd8b-26.php#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9b6b86335c78e98d5580dbd807effd8b-26.php#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA['This idea of linking the projects, of using the well-known name of St Andrews to pull in support for the not so well-known Leven, is in fact endorsed by a transport consultant who has already carried out work on both proposals.

...St Andrews generates so much money for the Scottish economy that it is only fair to enable it to continue doing so without making life intolerable for the residents. 

...Starlink is not campaigning on behalf of rail devotees, but for all who have to travel in and out of St Andrews, be they residents or visitors, students or commuters. ...  It is not just during golf tournaments or at the start and end of the university term that the town is swamped with traffic, but whenever somewhere has a Monday holiday or even just when the sun comes out.

...It therefore makes sense to provide it with the best possible transport links, thus enabling the town to continue creating prosperity, without its residents having to suffer an increasing influx of thousands of cars upon more and more occasions.'
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Views of Architectural Heritage Society on Starlink campaign</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-15T01:19:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5de8552cac4311643cce3502b2d04372-25.php#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5de8552cac4311643cce3502b2d04372-25.php#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In this age of the car it will be a minority group that wishes to travel to St Andrews by rail.   Most people who come to St Andrews for a day out will always want to jump into their cars and drive.'


He did, however, acknowledge that St Andrews had a major problem with traffic congestion, presumably from all those who insist upon jumping into their cars and driving, and urged St Andrews to follow the example of other historic university towns such as Cambridge, where,


'ring-roads divert through-traffic, well-organised peripheral car parks are served by an excellent park-and-ride bus service and the historic centre is pedestrianised, and is thus safe, spacious and unfestooned by closely-packed parked vehicles.' 


Of course, St Andrews has minimal through-traffic to divert, and it could also be argued that if people insist upon driving rather than use a train they might also eschew a park-and-ride bus.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinions of retired statistician on Starlink campaign</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-10T00:40:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f997e505300f79ec5ec298e7b7e73b3c-24.php#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/f997e505300f79ec5ec298e7b7e73b3c-24.php#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr Newton's case is that comparisons with German studies or recent Scottish re-openings are irrelevant, though he himself cites the Edinburgh South Suburban line to back his own argument.   The extra time to go into St Andrews would discourage passengers, there would be 'delay after delay' due to capacity problems, a station on the North Haugh would 'not be in walking distance for those people who do not reside in central St Andrews' so they would have to drive a car anyway, and in any case the present bus and train 'link' at Leuchars 'is better than many' in the country (which is doubtless why most passengers use cars instead!)   although there are 'very few places where there are dedicated bus and train links' because 'you cannot have an integrated service unless you throw lots of money at it.'


Mr Newton says that only the data from a feasibility study should be used to back the case for St Andrews.   Precisely - so let's have one.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Burning Issue - Courier</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-06T23:21:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/88bd1b9cf5de9f440b9db9a27c9f2f5e-23.php#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/88bd1b9cf5de9f440b9db9a27c9f2f5e-23.php#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA['I certainly think Fife Council needs to commission a report into the re-opening of the St Andrews line since St Andrews is the only university town in the UK (sic) without a line .... we should also examine the possibility of monorail, unmanned services between St Andrews and Leuchars.'


Patrick Laughlin, Manager of the St Andrews World Class initiative, said that public transport links to St Andrews were not as good as they should be for a town with such global aspirations, and high housing costs and low local unemployment rates mean more workers than ever before now live out of town, and called for a full strategic evaluation and costing of each of the options, 'as was done for the Waverley line.' 

...And motorists will indeed use the train, given half a chance; a German study showed that while putting on a bus only enticed 7% of drivers out of their cars, running a rail service on the same route resulted in a 40% transfer from car to train. 

...Since the railway closed the bus service between Leuchars and St Andrews has improved beyond recognition but there is still only a trickle of alighting rail passengers stopping at the bus-stop compared with the vast majority striding purposefully towards the car-park. ...  A service to the Home of Golf from Scotland's capital in an hour would be possible only by rail and once the infrastructure is in place one could even have special trains for particular events, such as the Flying Scotsman hauling the Orient Express to the Open at St Andrews.']]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Golflink numbers down</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2000-07-31T21:30:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/779c43e2a9ea8b4fafc001a409b5c8c1-22.php#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/779c43e2a9ea8b4fafc001a409b5c8c1-22.php#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As reported in the Dundee Courier (25th July 2000), despite the buses being timed to meet trains at Leuchars (the only time this happens is during the Open) and a police escort to the Links to avoid the traffic jams, golf fans were less keen on entrusting themselves to public transport than they had been at Carnoustie, where there was a train service direct to the town.   As the Scotrail spokesperson said, &lsquo;Carnoustie had the station practically on the first tee which was a big advantage for a lot of people.&rsquo;


The message is clear; while car-drivers can be persuaded to use a direct rail service, they are more reluctant to use an integrated train and bus service, despite the buses connecting with the trains and the police escort to avoid congestion.   Given that at no other times do the buses actually connect with the trains it is obvious that car-drivers will not be tempted out of their vehicles by even an improved bus service from Leuchars; they will vote with their ignition-keys.   The only way to cut down the number of cars coming into St Andrews is to provide the alternative which car-drivers will use, i.e. a direct railway.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Doubts cast on rail study</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2000-08-30T21:28:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/cf34dba5dff151838acecef79e407146-21.php#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/cf34dba5dff151838acecef79e407146-21.php#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[	c.	wondered whether Historic Scotland clearance would be required about listed parts of the old station, when it was demolished in the early 1970s and tarmacadamed over for a car-park in the mid 1980s.


...What was worst of all though was the so-called investigation into a St Andrews rail-link consisting solely of a one-day questioning of passengers already using Leuchars, and then saying that although a St Andrews railway would generate &lsquo;useful revenue,&rsquo; this would mostly be diverted from Leuchars. 

...Ms Liston was most disappointed that the &lsquo;highly-paid&rsquo; consultants had made no effort whatsoever to identify potential passengers not currently using the railway, for example commuters between St Andrews and Cupar, Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh, nor even visitors generated by new amenities such as the Kingask golf, leisure and conference centre.   &lsquo;Do they really think,&rsquo; she said, &lsquo;that the prospect of a direct rail service from the capital of Scotland to the home of golf would not fire the imagination of visitors?&rsquo;


Ms Liston wrote to Scott Wilson with these and other questions in March and again in May but has so far received no reply, despite an assurance in The Scotsman from Scott Wilson that her queries would be answered.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lib-Dem council leader backs Starlink</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2000-08-31T21:25:48+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/8e36f7a755bba95707260a9949e59475-20.php#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/8e36f7a755bba95707260a9949e59475-20.php#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Cllr Harris said, &lsquo;Surely Fife has now proved that it deserves to hold this championship on a regular basis.   However if so, then Railtrack must go ahead and build a railway line to St Andrews, to offer an efficient and comfortable alternative to the private car.&rsquo;   She noted that this fitted in neatly with the Scottish Executive&rsquo;s commitment to golf tourism and added, &lsquo;Perhaps Henry McLeish will see fit to supporting this proposal.&rsquo;]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Significant differences in Golflink percentages</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2000-09-30T21:23:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6d4e5464eb6024f8ed41a73e61f2d147-19.php#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/6d4e5464eb6024f8ed41a73e61f2d147-19.php#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[STARLINK convenor Jane Ann Liston said, &lsquo;More detail of these figures is required; nevertheless it is clear that the train journey terminating 5 miles short of the course, requiring a change to a bus, has been a major discouragement to golf fans travelling by train.   If that happened despite the buses waiting to meet the trains, and a police escort to the course to avoid congestion, then how much more are passengers discouraged in the ordinary course of events when the buses do not connect and they are not escorted past traffic jams.   If we are serious about trying to cut down car use to St Andrews then the railway must be restored.&rsquo;]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Starlink still on track</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2000-12-31T21:21:19+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9ea2fdf9ba67945decad05499bcbecdc-18.php#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9ea2fdf9ba67945decad05499bcbecdc-18.php#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston has had a meeting with Transportation staff, and they agreed that there were some shortcomings in the report, so this was not the last word on the subject.   Indeed, Fife Council did agree to look at it again and have demonstrated their commitment by including a St Andrews railway in their Local Transport Strategy and referring to it in the Fife Structure Plan.   The matter is also under consideration by the St Andrews Tourism Management Programme.


Ms Liston said, &lsquo;It was agreed that further research should be carried out; one of the reasons for the limited nature of the St Andrews part of the rail study was that only a small budget was allocated to it.   Starlink will be happy to assist in bringing about such a study.&rsquo;]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fife Council backs St Andrews railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2001-02-27T21:16:46+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fc8a4d7407c4c6d30e74aabe4a3523aa-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fc8a4d7407c4c6d30e74aabe4a3523aa-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Under the heading &lsquo;Issues to be considered/progressed by Fife Council in partnership with Railtrack and Scotrail and, where relevant, SESTRAN, Scottish Executive, SRA&rsquo; is &lsquo;In the long term, providing a passenger rail link to St Andrews&rsquo;.


Starlink convenor Jane Ann Liston said, &lsquo;The importance of this being put down in black and white by the Public Transport authority cannot be underestimated.   It shows the whole project is being taken seriously by the relevant authorities.&rsquo;]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>2010 meeting for St Andrews Station&#x21;</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2001-02-28T21:15:34+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/ca4d38b59486919d2ecec2dea110aab2-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/ca4d38b59486919d2ecec2dea110aab2-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Railway Passengers Council at their statutory meeting in Dunfermline expressed the hope that they would be able to hold their 2010 meeting in the new St Andrews Railway Station!


Convenor Mike Lunan made the remark while thanking Alan Bryan, Fife Council&rsquo;s Head of Transportation for his presentation to the meeting, to the great delight of at least two members of the audience!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>RDS calls for St Andrews railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2001-03-30T21:08:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/428530838845acd2552867e0d600bcb4-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/428530838845acd2552867e0d600bcb4-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another organisation has expressed support for a St Andrews railway with the Railway Development Society (Scotland) including it in its list of &lsquo;essential enhancements&rsquo; in its submission to the Scottish Executive&rsquo;s consultation document on Strategic Priorities for Scotland&rsquo;s Passenger Railway.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Transport Expert supports St Andrews railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2001-03-31T21:06:22+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/c195b37e7b91220f740391e97390dbfa-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/c195b37e7b91220f740391e97390dbfa-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Professor George Hazel of Robert Gordon&rsquo;s University has expressed his support for a railway to St Andrews.   In his address to the St Andrews Tourism Management Programme Forum, Professor Hazel said that the home of golf should be reconnected to the rail network, and suggeted that the funding gap could be closed by a scheme such as was being used in the Edinburgh e-rail project.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Euro 2008 needs St Andrews railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2001-07-31T21:02:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0103417be941b662b17f95073488963f-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0103417be941b662b17f95073488963f-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Referring to the proposed new Dundee football stadium Cllr Jane Ann Liston said, &lsquo;This means that players, officials and spectators will be looking for good accommodation near Dundee. ...  If however St Andrews were reconnected to the rail network, with both northbound and southbound access, then the hotels of this town which is already used to catering for large sporting events will be able to benefit.   It is also conceivable that St Andrews accommodation could be used by people travelling to Edinburgh, as Murrayfield will be the Edinburgh venue and it is very close to Haymarket, an hour at most from St Andrews by rail.&rsquo;


...&lsquo;Already we have seen Turnberry lose the 2004 Open Championship to Troon because all the former could offer was a park and ride; Troon on the other hand has a railway.   Indeed if St Andrews were not the Home of Golf I am certain we would have been dropped from the Open circuit by now.&rsquo;
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scottish Executive backs St Andrews Railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2002-02-28T20:59:12+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/b92e6ed46c4a1a6da888813c18eb8e24-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/b92e6ed46c4a1a6da888813c18eb8e24-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If the modification is accepted then Proposal PT2, which begins, &lsquo;Land for the following routes and facilities will be safeguarded from prejudicial development and identified in Local Plans, in accordance with the Local transport Strategy&rsquo; will read, at its fourteenth bullet-point, &lsquo;The Leven and St Andrews lines including new Stations (subject to review through Local transport Strategy)&rsquo;.


This gives the whole project credibility and helps ensure that the reconnection is not made more difficult by developments taking place on the alignment.


Cllr Liston welcomed the modification, which was suggested by the Fife Council Liberal Democrat Group, noting that the case would be further strengthened in three years time, with the news that the Open is to return to St Andrews in 2005.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rail Link Anniversary</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2002-07-01T20:56:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fddb0164dae119e563328e3dbe14d5ea-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fddb0164dae119e563328e3dbe14d5ea-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Starlink campaigners marked the 150th anniversary of the first train to run to St Andrews on 1st July 1852, by donning appropriate costume and going to the site of the first station, now beside the Old Course Hotel.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fife Plan supports St Andrews Railway</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2002-08-31T20:54:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fdb1fc13731b2b56a7abe16a9679332e-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/fdb1fc13731b2b56a7abe16a9679332e-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The new Fife Structure Plan, including the safeguarding of the St Andrews railway line and station, has been approved by the Scottish Executive.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dundee Study to look at St Andrews</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2002-10-31T20:48:34+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/caef895864f8564777991017733881a3-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/caef895864f8564777991017733881a3-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A study of rail services in the Tay Estuary area is to include consideration of the reinstatement of a railway to St Andrews.


Dundee City Council, in partnership with Angus, Fife and Perth & Kinross Councils and Scottish Enterprise Tayside, has commissioned Steer Davies Gleave and Babtie Group to carry out the work.   Results are expected in March 2003.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Public Meeting</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2004-11-19T20:42:44+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/a7a0c27da58f11a7d7741b90819a3f43-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/a7a0c27da58f11a7d7741b90819a3f43-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A public meeting to discuss progress of the campaign and possible options for a rail link was held in St Andrews Town Hall Supper Room, 7.50pm, Friday 19th November.   It was addressed by  Iain Smith MSP (North East Fife), Professor George Hazel and Cllr Jane Ann Liston.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open Golf Championship</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-07-31T20:36:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/bf8165fa0aa337a72b303648a058813b-7.php#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/bf8165fa0aa337a72b303648a058813b-7.php#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Open Golf Championship was held at St Andrews as it is every five years or so.   Usage of the Golflink rail service via Leuchars (5 miles from St Andrews) stayed at 15% of attendees, the same as the previous visit by the Open in 2000.


In directly rail-linked Open venues the usage was 26% in Carnoustie (1999) and 20% in Troon (2004).


Cllr Jane Ann Liston caused controversy by daring to suggest that the town&rsquo;s transport infrastructure was inadequate for such an event.   The same thing had been said by the chairman of the Scottish Tourist Board &mdash; fifteen years previously.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E-Rail Study</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2005-10-31T20:33:15+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9823253536e0ec6272bc1287abd484a4-6.php#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/9823253536e0ec6272bc1287abd484a4-6.php#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Results of study by E-Rail advocated a guided bus between Leuchars and St Andrews as an interim measure leading to a full rail link; however Fife Council decided to shelve the whole idea.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open Golf Championship</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-01-31T20:24:25+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/578e92fa9ca204cca6fd58ea52a18a9d-5.php#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/578e92fa9ca204cca6fd58ea52a18a9d-5.php#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E-Rail Study</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-01-31T21:33:57+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0bfe6ca90429f7580c88bc6022f541b2-4.php#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/0bfe6ca90429f7580c88bc6022f541b2-4.php#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Fife Council finally revealed the source of the data upon which they discounted the E-Rail report; yet again no account taken of possible new passengers.   Similar calculations grossly underestimated the use of other new rail developments such as Edinburgh&ndash;Bathgate, Prestwick Airport and Edinburgh Park.


Councillor Jane Ann Liston said &hellip; &lsquo;To have put the whole concept of reconnecting St Andrews to the rail network on ice on the basis of such unreliable data is, to say the least, regrettable.   I hope Fife Council will reconsider.   What is required is a proper study of potential use, including quantifying the numbers of new passengers persuaded out of their cars.&rsquo; ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fife Council</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-31T21:32:07+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/daafc51d215ecdbeca84a83cafb6bd08-3.php#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/daafc51d215ecdbeca84a83cafb6bd08-3.php#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Change of administration at Fife Council.   A new Fife Structure Plan, currently with Scottish Ministers, talks vaguely of a &lsquo;transport route&rsquo;, a very much weaker statement than the safeguarding of land for a line and station which is in the current version.   An objection has been lodged; it will be remembered that last time it was the Scottish Ministers who insisted upon the safeguarding statement, contrary to the wishes of Fife Council. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Starlink Questionnaire</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-10-31T21:22:56+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/60eca9a5ece8c3161a0fb6418f22d9e5-2.php#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/60eca9a5ece8c3161a0fb6418f22d9e5-2.php#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Starlink Questionnaire has been launched to demonstrate support for the principle of a railway to St Andrews.   Distributed via St Andrews in Focus magazine to every home in the town and also to all students in halls of residence, as well as hotels, shops, etc. and being handed out in and around St Andrews.   Unlike previous studies this one attempts to contact potential passengers who are currently not using trains at all, as well as those who are travelling to Leuchars to join the rail system.


Thanks to RailFuture (Scotland), the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council and St Andrews World Class for their financial support.


Copies available; please e-mail if you&rsquo;d like some. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Starlink Questionnaire &#x2013; preliminary results</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-09T21:16:57+00:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/66c3fe5cba73f6c3e0df8667caf5666e-1.php#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/66c3fe5cba73f6c3e0df8667caf5666e-1.php#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[20,000 questionnaires were distributed during November and December: 6,800 in St Andrews in Focus magazine to every household in St Andrews, 3,000 to all students in halls of residence, the remainder handed to rail passengers at Leuchars, distributed round parked cars at Leuchars and St Andrews (including in streets used by commuters) and, probably the vast majority, left in bundles in hotels, restaurants, pubs and shops.


...78% of residents who do not take the bus to Leuchars for the train would use a St Andrews railway (as most of these are driving a car, this suggests a good opportunity for modal shift).


Those 2 figures comprise 79% of the residents&rsquo; responses; another 15% are users of the bus to Leuchars who would make the same amount of rail journeys if a St Andrews railway were built.


...	&bull;	Buses don&rsquo;t connect with the trains; bus often seen pulling away as train get in. 15 minutes (longer in the evenings) is seen as too long to wait for the next one


...	&bull;	Assertion that many visitors don&rsquo;t realise how far Leuchars is from St Andrews; one B&B provider said she has lost bookings once her potential guests realised the nearest railway station was not actually in St Andrews
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Web Site</title><dc:creator>starlink@starlink-campaign.org.uk</dc:creator><dc:subject>News</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-08T18:56:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5101a015258d43f0a13860e260c53e86-0.php#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://starlink-campaign.org.uk/files/5101a015258d43f0a13860e260c53e86-0.php#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Hello!


Here we are with a brand new web site; the space and initial setup is donated by the Event: St Andrews web site &ndash; on the assumption that people who want to know what's on in St Andrews might also want to travel to or from the town...]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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