Levenmouth: Trains set to service Fife area for first time in more than five decades

Trains are set to serve communities in east Fife for the first time in more than five decades.

The £116m Levenmouth Rail Project is on track to open this summer, with driver training now well under way.

It will reconnect Leven to the country’s main railway network for the first time in more than half a century.

Two new stations – at Cameron Bridge and Leven – will be serviced through the Levenmouth Rail Link.

Malcolm Forrest at ScotRail said: “It’s going to be good, it’s going to bring in a lot more jobs. We’re going to have conductors based here, we’re going to have drivers based here, we’re going to have cleaning staff based here as well.

“So it’s another opportunity for Leven in terms of job prospects, and it’s now going to give them a direct link to Edinburgh without having to travel to the likes of Kirkcaldy or one of the stations further away – it’s going to be good for the local economy.”

Thousands of people answered the train operator’s recruitment call for new drivers.

ScotRail’s Mark Ilderton said: “Over half of our drivers are already trained on the Leven route. We’ve got more to do, it’s going to be a busy few weeks but we’re really excited about and everyone is getting on really well with the training.”

The new line may only be six miles long but it will make a significant difference to the 50,000 people who call the area home.

Leven station’s platform will stretch some 290 metres and the two new stations will be able to accommodate eight carriage-long trains.

Services are scheduled to begin on June 2.