Information relating to the former Dumfries to Stranraer railway line: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide the following information relating to the former Dumfries to Stranraer railway line (the Port Road, closed 1965) and rail connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway more broadly:

1. Any feasibility studies, scoping studies, options assessments or preliminary assessments of reopening any part of the former Dumfries to Stranraer railway line, produced or commissioned at any time by Transport Scotland or its predecessor bodies.

2. Any references to the Dumfries to Stranraer corridor, the Port Road, or rail connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway in Transport Scotland's Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR1 or TPR2) documentation, including any scoring, assessment or consideration of the route.

3. Any correspondence between Transport Scotland and SWestrans, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Ministers, or Forestry and Land Scotland relating to rail connectivity in Dumfries and Galloway or potential restoration of rail services in the region.

4. Any assessments of rail freight potential in Dumfries and Galloway, including assessments of timber freight, agricultural freight, or other freight flows that might support a rail business case in the region.

5. Any assessments or correspondence relating to the A75 as a strategic freight corridor and any consideration of alternative freight modes including rail.

6. Any submissions received by Transport Scotland from community groups, local authorities, or campaign organisations relating to rail reopening in Dumfries and Galloway.

Response

1. Our aim is to provide information whenever possible. However, in this instance the request would require us to locate, retrieve and review a very large volume of information across multiple systems. We estimate that complying with the request would place a significant and disproportionate burden on the authority’s resources and would disrupt our ability to carry out our core functions. As such, under Section 12 of Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) ‘excessive cost of compliance’, we have not been able to complete your request. The reasons why this exemption applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

2. Some of the information you have requested is publicly available from websites.

I have provided links to the relevant websites in the Annex to this letter.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600515766 - Information released - Annex

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