SEStran awards rail freight facility study

Consultant AECOM has won a £150,000 contract to explore rail freight opportunities in southeast Scotland. The study is being commissioned by the South East Scotland transport partnership (SEStran) and Forth Ports, the owner of six ports in the area: Grangemouth, Leith, Rosyth, Methil, Kirkcaldy and Burntisland. Grangemouth has active rail freight facilities, and Leith and Rosyth have rail connections that are rarely used. Methil lies on the closed Levenmouth branch for which there is a reopening campaign. The project will consider the potential for freight consolidation centres at key locations, with the use of rail as a key mode for movements. It will also consider the obstacles that multi-modal freight terminals face in trying to encourage more traffic, and assess the feasibility of reinstating/introducing rail freight facilities where appropriate. The project is funded by the Scottish Government’s Local Rail Devel