We often take a drive down to the coastal town of Leven. The expansive beach is perfect for walking and observing birds on the shoreline. The public car-park is situated at the point where the River Leven enters the Forth estuary and this is also a good place for spotting wildlife. The town is preparing to rejoin the national rail network, with track laying now complete and the new station almost ready to welcome travellers. From the Bawbee road bridge above the river, I had an excellent view of the development taking shape below.
Passenger services to Leven ceased in 1969. Trains ran around a seaboard loop on the Fife peninsula, splitting off the East Coast Main Line at Thornton Junction and converging again at Leuchars. It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that a railway passing through the popular East Neuk fishing villages would generate significant footfall today (at least in the summer months), but back in the days of the Beeching cuts, it was decided to axe most of the Fife coastal line and the final through service ran in 1967. Stubs were left in place at either end, from Thornton to Leven and from Leuchars to St Andrews, but both closed to passengers after less than two years of operation, the tracks to St Andrews being swiftly removed. Coal trains continued to use the Leven link until the closure of Methil Power Station in 2001. The line was then mothballed and became an unofficial walking route for intrepid explorers, although a one-mile section reopened between Thornton and Earlseat Opencast Mine from 2012 to 2015. I wandered from the centre of Leven to this new live boundary a few years back, a distance of four and a half miles each way. I'm glad I managed to see all the old infrastructure before the rebuilding commenced, including two fine metal bridges over the river and the intact island platforms at Cameron Bridge Station, behind the massive distillery complex of the same name near the village of Windygates. Now owned by global giant Diageo, Cameron Bridge produces grain spirit for leading blended whisky brands such as Johnnie Walker and Bell's. It also manufactures the spirit required for well-known drinks such as Smirnoff Vodka and Gordon's Gin. A range of specialist whiskies bearing the Cameron Bridge name are also distilled here. The railway sidings remained active until the 1990s but Diageo have apparently expressed little interest in using the new corridor to transport their wares, despite also owning a huge bottling plant in Leven. Cameron Bridge will be the only intermediate stop on the reopened line and the station will be sited to the east of the original halt, on the other side of the A915. This decision was taken to allow for the creation of a 125-space car-park and bus turning circle.
As for Leven itself, the location of the terminus is ideal. A mere stone's throw from the bus station and High Street, the railway station site also provides easy access to the swimming pool and beach. Older residents will recall the previous Leven Station being situated a few streets away, within the town rather than on the promenade. These rails were removed decades ago and new housing and roads now occupy parts of the alignment. The current project utilises part of the power station branch and actually offers a better location for the final stop. What it precludes though is the continuation of the line through the town towards the East Neuk of the county. This extension however was never a realistic prospect as many parts of the old trackbed have been farmed over or built upon and a complete restoration of the original Fife coastal route would have been prohibitively expensive. The Scottish Government has chosen a sensible option that re-connects the Levenmouth urban area (population circa 35000) to the national system and provides a more convenient railhead for those further up the coast. From the rebuilt Bawbee Bridge, I noted the platforms, signage, signalling equipment and passenger shelters were in place. I read recently that driver training has commenced along the route and the station is due to open for business in spring 2024. Outstanding work remains on the car-park and access paths but it won't be long until locals can catch a train for the first time in 55 years. Two services per hour are slated to run to Edinburgh, one via Kirkcaldy and the other passing through Dunfermline. The development should give an economic boost to an area that has suffered from high levels of deprivation in recent decades and I'm looking forward to my maiden trip on the line. Leven Beach has been a popular destination for Nicole and me in recent years. There is always plenty of birdlife around and today we saw the obligatory sanderlings scuttling along the sand. I watched a godwit (pictured) splash about and probe with its long bill. These birds always seem to be having the time of their lives and if reincarnation exists, this wouldn't be a bad way to return to these shores. After a bracing stroll, we drove to the charming village of West Wemyss right on the seafront. Here we saw cormorant and eider out on the rocks. The wind was picking up and I feared my bunnet might fly into the water!
Every new rail connection improves the Scottish public transport map. The St Andrews stub has also been the subject of a vigorous reopening campaign and the results of a major appraisal are due imminently. It's a different case to Levenmouth, being more about relieving congestion than promoting economic growth. The proposed five-mile link would require only light engineering and would join the main line at Leuchars. St Andrews is a tourist hot-spot and is known across the world as the home of golf. The historic town also boasts the world's second-oldest English-speaking university and many international students flock to this corner of Fife. That's a good few boxes ticked already! Transport schemes however are often the result of political expediency rather than whether the idea makes sense on paper. Levenmouth was chosen and hopefully its success will prompt the government to greenlight the St Andrews project. One missed opportunity on the Leven route is an integration point with Fife Heritage Railway, who operate over half a mile of track within the confines of an old marshalling yard near the point where the power station branch diverged. I can't help thinking a basic occasional halt could have been provided to allow people to attend heritage events by rail. The volunteer group has gained an improved car-park out of the reopening scheme after releasing land to Network Rail for use as a temporary base. My next blog entry for Leven will hopefully be composed while staring from the window of a sea-bound train.
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