Is new station finally on track?

Despite the line passing next to Abronhill, train travellers have to travel to Cumbernauld station to board services

A station in the area was first mentioned in the Greater Glasgow Transportation Study of 1968 but never came to fruition.

More recently, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth MSP Jamie Hepburn surveyed residents in 2009 and then in 2015 North Lanarkshire Council and SPT held a consultation into the matter.

The results of the consultation, which also included new stations in Plains and Glenboig, were then to be included in a Strategic Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG).

It had been suggested the report detailing the viability of the three stations would be completed last year, but nothing appeared.

This prompted Mr Hepburn to wrote to North Lanarkshire Council seeking an update.

He said: “The issue of a train station for Abronhill is one that I have been pursuing for many years now, as a distinct community with a large population, Abronhill should have a station.

“I’m hoping that any STAG report provided by the council will help strengthen the case and I recently wrote to North Lanarkshire Council to ask for an update on the report that was undertaken some time ago into the viability of a number of proposed new train stations in North Lanarkshire, including in Abronhill.

“I have received a response from the council to inform me that they are currently preparing a report to bring to the community and members of the council to present the findings from the STAG, which they anticipated will be considered by the council in December.”

A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council confirmed there are plans for the report to be presented at the next meeting of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Local Area Partnership (LAP).

Meanwhile, this weekend will the final one affected by track renewal work between Cumbernauld and Motherwell that will see bus replacement services running on Saturday and Sunday.