History of the Route

Old photograph of Alloa Station

1760s – Nearly a century before railways were introduced to the area, the Alloa Wagonway was used to transport coal to the River Forth for shipping. Built in the late 1760s, the wagonway was several miles long although very little of it now remains. It was joined in 1806 by the Sauchie Wagonway which traveled to Clackmannan.

1840s – The Stirling-Dunfermline Railway Company begins construction on a new railway line opening the link between Dunfermline and Alloa on 28th August 1850 and, on 3rd June 1851, lines to Alloa harbour and Tillicoultry.

1852 – The Alloa-Stirling link of the Stirling-Dunfermline railway opens on the 1st of July. Previous to this passengers had been using the harbour line where they could take a ferry across the River Forth to join the South Alloa line for onward travel.

1893 – The Kincardine line was the last built in the area for both passengers and freight. Opened on 18th December, the branch leaves the Stirling & Dunfermline railway at Kincardine junction.

1968 – The original Alloa and Cambus stations close.

1983 – The Alloa-Kincardine junction closes and the last train runs on this section.

1986 – A Clackmannanshire local plan safeguards the existing route.

1993 – The last train runs on the Stirling-Cambus section. This section of route officially remains operational.

1996 – The Kincardine-Longannet section of the line is reopened to freight traffic.

2005 – Construction work on the reopening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link begins in the autumn.

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