CAUSEWAYHEAD community council chair Archie Cowan has called on affected residents not to lose their focus over the campaign to  stop freight trains running at night despite the
possibility of receiving compensation.

Last week Holyrood transport minister Stuart Stevenson admitted compensation may be payable to residents along the line whose property has been devalued under the Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1973.

Since December freight trains have regularly been running between 11pm and 7am despite previous assurances that no such move would take place. And Mr Cowan said his priority remains halting the 23-carriage wagons taking coal from Ayrshire to Longannet power station during this period.

“Despite this announcement I don’t think we are any further forward,” he said. “There are two main issues for me. The first is getting the trains stopped at night. As a community, I think that has to be our primary focus and I know that remains mine.

“Secondly, once we have achieved this then we can look at any possible compensation. It would be easy for people to be distracted by pound signs but at the end of the day even if people receive compensation the trains would still be running,  interrupting people’s sleep and causing them misery, so we have to keep trying to get them halted.

“I’ve always said we’ve all got to live in harmony and if the trains ran during the day when people are at work then I’m sure we could live with that.”

Last week correspondence between Transport Scotland and freight operator DB Schenker was disclosed to Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Dr Richard Simpson under Freedom of Information legislation.
It revealed that compensation claims were being discussed in September last year and that officials at Transport Scotland were aware of proposals to extend the timetable.

Dr Simpson claimed that Transport Scotland, which provided £85m funding for the project, misled the public. He said: “Transport Scotland implicitly and explicitly gave undertakings that there would be no night trains. I think it has  really misled the public. That’s what is most shocking.”

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “The operation of freight services and the timing of these is a matter for the rail industry and lies outwith Transport Scotland’s remit.

“Transport Scotland ack-nowledges concern expressed by residents adjoining the new railway, especially since freight trains commenced operation
at night.”