A group of residents gathered to rejoice at plans to restore an hourly train service to Perth and Dundee from Invergowrie for the first time since the 1980s.
The small Invergowrie station, at the junction of Station Road and Noble Avenue, avoided closure in 1985 when neighbouring Errol services were cut.
And local commuters have just been able to use a reduced service ever since, with only a handful of stops in the village on any given day.
But now rail users in the Carse village will benefit from ScotRail’s proposed timetable changes from May 22 next year, which were unveiled last Friday for public feedback.
The move is part of the rail operator’s plans to cut 300 services to alleviate a £243 million annual deficit, with the Scottish Government soon to take control.
The plans have been met with local criticism after it was announced a number of services would be cut and the Perth to Edinburgh service would travel via Cowdenbeath - upping the journey time to one hour and 40 minutes.
But Invergowrie residents are set to be among the ones celebrating, something local councillor Alasdair Bailey was keen to point out, having campaigned for better rail links in east Perthshire for years.
The Carse of Gowrie representative said: “Even though these proposals are a retrograde step for Perth, it’s fantastic to see that Invergowrie is poised to get its hourly train back as part of these proposals.
“The station narrowly escaped closure in 1985 when nearby Errol got the axe and has suffered from a sporadic train service ever since.
“It was as though the powers that be never really wanted Invergowrie station to survive.
“More recently the idea of moving the station to Dundee Airport was mooted but now we have this fantastic news that ScotRail can stop one train per hour here through the day.
“This will open up opportunities for people in Invergowrie and the west of Dundee to switch more journeys to the train and help us get through this current climate crisis.
“I’m really pleased by how many people have told me that they’ve put comments into the consultation in support of the Invergowrie improvements.
“We must remember that this is still technically a proposal therefore we must take the opportunity to welcome the positives in order that our voices are heard when welcoming the increased service for Invergowrie.”
