Planning outwith Moray: Delay to Cairngorms steam train plans
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Plans to connect Grantown to Aviemore by steam train have been hit by yet another delay amid claims of a blunder by Transport Scotland officials.
Having been stuck in the pipeline for more than two decades, the biggest remaining hurdle is getting a railway line across the A95 trunk road.
The multimillion pound scheme will require the whisky road to be re-aligned to accommodate a railway tunnel at Gaich, a mile south of Grantown.
Linda Coe, who chairs the Strathspey Railway Charitable Trust, said that Transport Scotland had overlooked the upcoming opening of the Cairn Distillery, which belongs to the Elgin-based company Gordon & MacPhail.
Speaking to the latest meeting of Highland Council's area committee, she said: "Unfortunately Transport Scotland is nowhere near ready.
"Rather late in the day, they identified that the entry being built to The Cairn Distillery fundamentally affected the A95 realignment and under-bridge plans which had been submitted with pre-application consultation."
She added: "We have no choice but to wait for Transport Scotland to redo their plans and surveys before we can submit the application.
"This potentially exposes us to having to redo the environmental surveys again.
"As these are seasonal – for example for protected species such as hibernating bats – this obviously equals potentially much more delay.”
Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, has supported the railway’s extension for many years.
He said: "This is very disappointing given undertakings that were received formerly from Transport Scotland.
"This has been a very long struggle thus far, and I shall continue to press Transport Scotland to deliver what they have themselves promised.
Kate Forbes, the Badenoch MSP, stated the steam railway was a much-valued attraction for the region and that she was sorry to learn of the delay.
She added: "I hope Transport Scotland can work constructively with all of the parties involved to resolve this matter."
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "The recent changes implemented on the A95 associated with the distillery development have meant that the previous design of the Gaich to Craggan scheme requires significant alteration.
"Our design consultants have been working to develop an amended design taking account of engineering and safety standards, environmental issues, and potential effects on nearby landowners, and will require to complete further detailed engineering, environmental, traffic and economic assessments in the coming months."
