Ardgay community councillor calls for ‘hundreds of tonnes of waste’ at village’s railway station to be removed
A COMMUNITY councillor has called for “hundreds of tonnes of waste” in Network Rail yards at Ardgay Railway Station to be removed.
Robert Sawyer said there were “tonnes of waste” at the village’s railway station, which is in the centre of the village.
He was speaking at a meeting of Ardgay and District Community Council in Culrain Hall last week, which was addressed by Lindsay Rugman, sustainable transport officer for the Far North Line Community Rail Partnership.
He said: “If you go into the shop, you pull into the car park, and the first thing you see is that eyesore. It is inviting seagulls, and that is going to be a problem for people when they start nesting. There are hundreds of tons of waste there that need to be taken away.
One member of the public at the meeting said seagulls were definitely moving from the rising water on the flood plains in Ardgay and Bonar Bridge to stones at the station.
Others at the meeting called for a review of train times, which they said did not meet the needs of local residents.
Culrain resident Graham Charge said Culrain Station was in the top 20 least used stations in the UK.
“We need a timetable that allows people to get to Inverness, do a day’s work, and get home again. A sensible timetable would encourage more people to use the train.”
Another spoke about the cost of rail travel and suggested a discount for local people, saying: “To get to Ardgay from Inverness is £30 - that is quite a lot of money. Living in the north, we have to travel.
Network Rail was asked to comment on the criticism of the state of Ardgay Station but has not yet responded.
Ms Rugman, who took up the 18-month sustainable transport officer post last December, has previously said she hopes to encourage travel by rail and other sustainable modes of transport and to work positively with community representatives.
