Ayrshire MSP Sharon Dowey is urging the next First Minister to back the campaign to re-open Mauchline and Cumnock Train Station.
Ms Dowey’s call comes as Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan battle to replace Nicola Sturgeon as party leader and First Minister.
After little progress was made on the railway station re-opening under Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Conservative MSP said that the re-opening of these stations must be a top priority for the next First Minister.
Ms Dowey said she would lodge a question in the Scottish Parliament after the new leader is announced on March 27.
Commenting, Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sharon Dowey said:
“The election of a new SNP leader and First Minister offers a fresh opportunity for progress on the re-opening of Mauchline and Cumnock Station.
“Under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership, the SNP Government made no progress on this issue.
“This campaign is all about improving public transport links for residents, reducing accidents along the A76, and reaching net zero.
“It would bring a welcome boost to the local economy and bring extra visitors to our historic towns.
“The next SNP leader must listen to the campaign to get the re-opening of the Cumnock and Mauchline stations back on track, and I will be pushing for this to happen urgently.”
Commenting, Cumnock and New Cumnock Cllr Neill Watts said:
“When the Conservatives introduced a motion on the creation of a working group to support the re-opening of these stations, it was kicked into the long grass with a wider ranging amendment by SNP and Labour.
“Under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership, the SNP have failed to recognise that these stations would promote the use of public transport in Mauchline and Cumnock, supporting residents on their commute and helping Scotland reach its net zero ambitions.
“We need the new First Minister and the cabinet to listen to our campaign and act on it. This way, the SNP group may finally listen to our proposals to set up a working group on the stations and get us well on our way to re-opening them.
“Otherwise, the hundreds of thousands of passengers predicted to use the stations will continue to be denied the chance to do so”.
You can support the campaign here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/get-cumnock-and-mauchline-back-on-track
