The Scottish Government has unveiled a £30m fund which will be used to build new train stations in the country. The monies can also be used to refurbish existing train stations and their associated facilities.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has said it hopes, in partnership with SWestrans (South West of Scotland Transport Partnership) to bid with a view of refurbishing the train station in Stranraer, as well as to build new train stations in Thornhill, Eastriggs, Dunragit/Glenluce and Beattock.

For Stranraer station, a maintenance program will be in place from 2015, but additional funding could further improve the comfort and attractiveness of the station for passengers. Relocation of the station, with the introduction of a new transport interchange, could also be an option but would incur significantly greater costs.

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Elsewhere, Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) studies have been completed for the proposed new stations at Thornhill and Eastriggs. It revealed that the new stations would bring "major benefits" to the wider community. A new station for the Dunragit/Glenluce area could provide benefits for both communities, while at Beattock, there is an active campaign to reopen the existing station. However, Beattock is situated on the West Coast Main Line south of Carstairs Junction, which is not currently served by any ScotRail services, meaning the project could be difficult to deliver.

Councillor Colin Smyth, Chair of the Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee said: "Figures suggest that the number of people using the Scottish railway network is growing, so our region needs to have the facilities in place to cater for them.

"Improving our rail network means better links for business which could also help boost the regional economy. Some proposals are more realistic than others but I hope we will at least see some of the funding invested in stations in our region."

(JP)