At least 11 rail stations at risk after minister refuses to rule out closures

SCOTLAND’s Transport Minister Keith Brown has not ruled out closing train stations as part of a review on the future of the railways.

Mr Brown was pressed in Holyrood yesterday to rule out closures but said the Scottish Government is still considering responses to the Rail 2014 consultation which closed on Monday.

The consultation identifies 11 stations in the Glasgow commuter area located less than one mile from another station, with leases totalling £208,000.

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It seeks views on how the Scottish Government should “determine what rail stations are required and where, including whether a station should be closed”.

Labour infrastructure spokesman Richard Baker said the consultation “calls into question the future of 11 railway stations in and around the city”.

He said: “The trade unions are in no way comforted by statements by the minister that these are just proposals.”

He added: “The minister refused to reject the proposition outright.

“He said there are no plans to close the stations. He has reiterated that in his motion today.

“But of course, we remember in the last parliament his predecessor announcing that there were no plans to cancel the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project, and only a week later the SNP did exactly that.”

Mr Baker sought clarification that “as long as the minister is in office, none of these 11 stations will close”.

Mr Brown responded: “We have no plans to close these stations but we do have to listen to the consultation.”

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However, Mr Brown’s SNP colleague James Dornan, whose constituency includes the Cathcart Circle line, went a step further and said no stations would be closed.

He said: “Labour know, I know and the public know that there is no, never was and won’t be any closures of state train stations throughout Glasgow.”

Mr Baker said the SNP’s claims have been “undermined” as their own “regional members in Glasgow have also been issuing leaflets under the banner Save Our Stations”.

He said: “While the minister may be adamant that there is no threat to these stations, evidently he had failed to reassure his own backbenchers in Glasgow on this very point.”

Leaflets featuring a photo of Nationalist candidates John Letford and Francis Scally with SNP MSP Bob Doris were circulated in the Glasgow Maryhill/Kelvin council ward, pledging to protect local stations from “potential closure”.

But an SNP spokeswoman said “it is not true” that SNP backbenchers have been handing out Save Our Stations leaflets.

She said: “There were two candidates in Glasgow who put out leaflets in a state of ignorance.” Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: “To look at Glasgow’s suburban rail network and consider that for cuts is unacceptable. Demand for these services in recent times has never been greater and they deserve our support.”