Thornton road closure: full timetable, shuttle service plans, school buses, 999 reaction
Residents in Thornton facing a five-month total closure of the main road through their town have been given an update on plans to keep the village open.
The community has already forced Network Rail to go back to the drawing board after a major backlash over its original bid to shut Main Street for 14 months to carry out work electrifying the Fife Circle line.
It left its officers in no doubt the timescale and impact were completely unacceptable - and there was another big turn out as the infrastructure organisation returned to update its revised plans.
Work starts on June 20, but it will see a single lane closure in place until October when the road will close completely until March 2027, re-opening with one lane until the project ends next July.
But any hopes Network Rail had of an easy ride were quickly shattered as locals pinned down the top table for more detail - and, on more than one instance, told them they had no faith in the organisation.
The bridge has to be taken down and then rebuilt up to 30cm higher to accommodate the work electrifying the line. Similar work is already underway at Bennochy Bridge in Kirkcaldy which is closed for one year as part of the £311m project which runs from the Borders to the Kingdom.
Network Rail’s handling of the plans for Thornton has been widely criticised, with the organisation already apologising for getting things so badly wrong.,
Martin Gray, head of strategic communications, returned to Thornton Public Hall on Wednesday night to tell locals: “Trying to do the right thing, it was really clear we did the wrong thing. We do not expect everyone to be happy with what we have since done, but this is where we have got to, and what we are still working on.” Since that first drop-in session, which saw over 170 pack the hall, Network Rail has set up a local liaison group and worked closely with Fife Council which pulled the plug on the original traffic order, effectively halting any work until a Plan B was in pace.
While the total closure of the road has been cut to five months, that timescale is still too long for many locals and politicians.
Mr Gray pledged: “I accept a five month closure is not palatable. We will do our best to try to reduce that as much as possible. I cannot put my hand on heart and say we will bring it in before then, but we will keep the project under review.”
Richard Baker, MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife, said the preparatory work “should have been done months, if not years ago” and added: “It is happening for the benefit of Network Rail’s timescale not ours. We have to keep on at them. Five months is still a massive impact on this community. Tonight is not the end of it.”
Local councillors Daniel Wilson and Lynda Holton also pledged to keep the pressure on Network Rail.
Said Cllr Wilson: “Now the bridge closure will be going ahead the focus must move to how we can mitigate the problems it will cause.”
Cllr Holton added: “"The road closure in Thornton is far from ideal and there is no doubt that businesses in particular will be heavily impacted. We will continue to do all we can to push for maximum support for those affected and hold Network Rail to account when it comes to delivering on its commitments to the Thornton community"
> The timetable:
Work starts on June 20 with a single lane closure in place. Prep work will begin around the 15th with machinery moved on to the site.
The road will close completely on October 18 until March 2027 with all traffic diverted via the A92.
A single lane will operate again until the end of the works next July.
> Public transport
The road closure will affect the 37 and 39 services.
Fife Council will provide a 20-minute shuttle bus from the Crown Hotel to the interchange point at Eastfield, Glenrothes, where people can then catch their buses. Bus shelters will be provided.
It will run from 5:00am to 7:00pm. After that time only the 39 operates and it will come into Thornton using a temporary turning circle at the station.
The council is also looking at a taxi service to help people connect with public transport.
It is also working with Stagecoach and other bus operators to test the suitability of the turning circle at the station - as it stands, double deckers cannot access it.
Who pays for the shuttle bus has yet to be agreed.
> School transport
There will be no change to the school bus timetable.
Mini-buses for pupils going to Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes, and St Andrews High School in Kirkcaldy, will depart from the Crown Hotel.
> Business support
Network Rail is under no obligation to help local traders affected by the road closure.
Fife Council is setting up meetings with traders to discuss what support can be given with clear signage, one to one support, and advertising. The next meeting has been pencilled in for June 24.
> Emergency services: Police, fire and ambulance have said they are happy with the arrangements in place.
> Working hours
In response to questions from locals, Network Rail and the council said it would look at possible double shifts and 24/7 operations to minimise the closure period
> Railway closure
The line at Thornton will close for four days later this year as the bridge is taken down, and work starts on the foundations for a new one.
> Delaying the entire project? Martin Gray: “If we cancel this work there will be costs to the public - about £1million - because the entire supply chain is lined up for October, and the likelihood is we’d come back in two years with the exact same proposals.
“There are mixed views on that. For some it is not good enough. What people have told us is get in and get it done as quickly as possible.”