Hey Roger! I finally managed to find your page! Im the owner of Colliers Coffee Roasters. Thank you for showcasing our wee town. It was a pleasure to host you! 🥰
Well done being the first person who not only covered the new rail link but actually explore the actual town itself :) will be hopefully change Leven for the better and breath new life into what was a neglected town
Hoping this new line proves popular and the link between Leuchars and St. Andrews can be looked at too, it would be imho a much more well-used destination, not dissing the beautiful town of Leven in any way but anything that helps promote the Kingdom of Fife I'll patronise. Very good audio/video quality on the video Roger.
I'm sorry, but while Dr Beeching did recommend the closure of the Fife Coast route between Leven and St Andrews (that closed in 1964), he DID NOT recommend that the Thornton to Leven, nor the Leuchars to St Andrews lines should be closed, as both had healthy commuter and seasonal passenger traffic at that time. Instead, the decision to close these - along with the direct Perth - Cowdenbeath (Glenfarg), the Dunfermline - Stirling (via Oakley) and many other lines - all of which Dr Beeching had recommended remain open and be upgraded as faster express passenger and freight routes in the case of the through lines; was taken by Labour Transport Minister, Barbara Castle. This was despite a 1965 General Election pledge that a Labour Government would reverse all the remaining closure recommendations! What you're referring to as a "Station Building" at Leven is alas, merely a traincrew depot, and is not accessible to the public; and I suspect you're right about those fancy 'shelters' offering just "some shelter from the elements," which being on the East Coast of Scotland tend to fall mostly in a horizontal direction...!! This is not where Leven's previous station stood astride the Fife Coast Line incidentally: that was to the north of the town centre but has in the intervening years been lost to a large number of houses, while much of the former route to the east has been ploughed back into the fields or golf courses, as the case might be - and hence, a further extension in that direction seems very unlikely at this time. No, the new station is at the end of what was originally the Leven Dock Railway - that was later quadrupled and extended to connect with Methil Docks and the large, coal-slurry fuelled power station, that stood just over the river from 1937-2002. The platform has however been built in such a way that it would be possible to extend the line acvross the existing river bridge to Methil and possibly beyond, thus creating a loop, should this ever be deemed desirable.
Hi Roger great news video and lovely tranquil River at leven I wouldn't mind a picnic up there.... so peaceful. Richard Turnbull in Newcastle upon Tyne
@@RogEdwardsTV The Northumberland line will open much later than planned sometime in the autumn. There have been problems with old mine workings at three of the new station sites.
Thanks for sharing, Roger. Great day for your Leven trip & fantastic you can now travel by train from Edinburgh, making that part of Fife more accessible. Definitely worth visiting, here's hoping more people take advantage of the new train link! ❤ the Scottie dog! 😊 👍
As someone who regularly travelled from Coaltown of Balgonie to Coaltown of Wemyss along the ancient track between the two villages its a pity the Scottish Government didn't give more taxpayers money to build a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to keep using this track. Maybe they will sometime in the future.
Its a real shame that Scot Rail has ALREADY axed some services to/from Leven and that was even before the line opened! There was meant to be an hourly service that would allow a direct journey between Dunfermline and Leven (including stopping at the Glenrothes with Thornton station) that was never timetabled with an excuse of not enough rolling stock etc etc. Instead of the as-is hourly service this would have given Leven a half-hourly service to/from Edinburgh via two routes. One is as present via Kirkcaldy and the other one would have included Rosyth, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Cardenden and Glenrothes with Thornton. Yes, Scottish Rail could argue that we at Glenrothes with Thornton can still get to Leven BUT we now need to change at Inverkeithing and this adds to a silly amount of travel time. Instead of a direct 8 minutes (or so) journey from Thornton Station to Leven it takes OVER an hour including the change at Inverkeithing. It is meant to be part of the "Fife Circle" line except the circle has not been a circle for many years. It is a really a branch line from Inverkeithing that routes via Dunfermline and normally terminates at Glenrothes with Thornton. There is only something like one train a day that allows us to go from Thornton to Kirkcaldy. Shame on Scot Rail! For those not familiar with this route please use Google Maps to see what I am referring to.
@@RogEdwardsTV That was in the original timetable's plans. ScotRail had plenty time to get their drivers trained and to provide enough rolling stock. I fully suspect that a bit of derring-do is afoot and we will not get the original service (as planned). There will be the excuse that as people haven't been asking about it then they obviously don't need/want it so the service via Dunfermline will never be timetabled. Also, we used to be able to get a train direct from Glenrothes with Thornton (without changing at Edinburgh) to Galashiels (a newish re-established line) but within the last year (or so) we now need to change at Edinburgh! Call me an auld cynic but again another cut in provision for Fife.
Further when the Halbeath park-and-ride was conceived it was meant to be park-and-choose as the area selected was right beside the Fife Circle so that parkers could choose between train or bus to Edinburgh. However, ScotRail were not willing to amend the timetable so refused to get involved!
Thanks so much. I just watched your Leven video. I’d read someone had got stuck in the lift. Hadn’t realised it was a CZcamsr. 😮 What an experience and not what you planned, obviously, but a great video nonetheless. 😀
Many of us who live in Edinburgh refer to it as the Rail Bridge to differentiate it from the Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing in conversation. 😀
Nice video but you had me gnashing my teeth in the first two minutes. You stated twice that the train was crossing the Forth Rail Bridge when in fact you were crossing the Forth Bridge. 🤬
Hey Roger! I finally managed to find your page! Im the owner of Colliers Coffee Roasters. Thank you for showcasing our wee town. It was a pleasure to host you! 🥰
Thanks so much, Scott! ☕️
Well done being the first person who not only covered the new rail link but actually explore the actual town itself :) will be hopefully change Leven for the better and breath new life into what was a neglected town
Thanks Walter! Fingers crossed the railway brings good fortune. The beach is gorgeous. 😀
Hoping this new line proves popular and the link between Leuchars and St. Andrews can be looked at too, it would be imho a much more well-used destination, not dissing the beautiful town of Leven in any way but anything that helps promote the Kingdom of Fife I'll patronise. Very good audio/video quality on the video Roger.
Thanks so much. Leuchars to St. Andrews definitely makes sense. In truth I’m not hopeful about a line to Anstruther, but I hope to be proved wrong. 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV I really cannot see that happening.
Hello Roger, thanks for the latest video and for showing more of Leven than just the train and station.
Thanks Alex. Yes it has to be about the destinations as well as the trains! 😀
I'm sorry, but while Dr Beeching did recommend the closure of the Fife Coast route between Leven and St Andrews (that closed in 1964), he DID NOT recommend that the Thornton to Leven, nor the Leuchars to St Andrews lines should be closed, as both had healthy commuter and seasonal passenger traffic at that time. Instead, the decision to close these - along with the direct Perth - Cowdenbeath (Glenfarg), the Dunfermline - Stirling (via Oakley) and many other lines - all of which Dr Beeching had recommended remain open and be upgraded as faster express passenger and freight routes in the case of the through lines; was taken by Labour Transport Minister, Barbara Castle. This was despite a 1965 General Election pledge that a Labour Government would reverse all the remaining closure recommendations! What you're referring to as a "Station Building" at Leven is alas, merely a traincrew depot, and is not accessible to the public; and I suspect you're right about those fancy 'shelters' offering just "some shelter from the elements," which being on the East Coast of Scotland tend to fall mostly in a horizontal direction...!! This is not where Leven's previous station stood astride the Fife Coast Line incidentally: that was to the north of the town centre but has in the intervening years been lost to a large number of houses, while much of the former route to the east has been ploughed back into the fields or golf courses, as the case might be - and hence, a further extension in that direction seems very unlikely at this time. No, the new station is at the end of what was originally the Leven Dock Railway - that was later quadrupled and extended to connect with Methil Docks and the large, coal-slurry fuelled power station, that stood just over the river from 1937-2002. The platform has however been built in such a way that it would be possible to extend the line acvross the existing river bridge to Methil and possibly beyond, thus creating a loop, should this ever be deemed desirable.
That’s great info. Thanks for clarifying. 😀
I think you should have your own TV programme. Fantastic presentation 👍
Thanks. That’s very kind of you! ☺️ I do have a face for radio, I think. 😂
The Levenmouth link is great and I was pleased to discover there was a big Sainsbury's over the road from the station.
Thanks Alexander! 😀
Hi Roger great news video and lovely tranquil River at leven I wouldn't mind a picnic up there.... so peaceful.
Richard Turnbull in Newcastle upon Tyne
A picnic there would be a great idea! 😀
Love how you put this video together, great stuff mate!
Cheers, Steve. Much appreciated. Hope you had a great time at Taylor Swift!
I've seen most of the launch day videos but your video is much more helpful, it was nice seeing the actual town as well and the beaches look stunning.
Thanks. I was busy on launch day so I knew I had to do something a little bit different. 😊
Great video, Rog!
I'll definitely have to check this out in person at some point!
And it seems to alternate between a 170 and 158 so you might got on your favourite Turbostar! 😀
The sun always shines in Fife
It certainly hasn’t been shining in East Lothian this year! 😂 Thanks for watching.
Scotland builds railways and here in England we're still building roads that will be gridlocked in a few years time. Sensible Scotland. Well done.
We’ve had a few new ones for sure. But I think there’s an imminent new line opening from Newcastle up the Northumberland coast with 6 new stations. 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV The Northumberland line will open much later than planned sometime in the autumn. There have been problems with old mine workings at three of the new station sites.
Thanks for sharing, Roger. Great day for your Leven trip & fantastic you can now travel by train from Edinburgh, making that part of Fife more accessible. Definitely worth visiting, here's hoping more people take advantage of the new train link! ❤ the Scottie dog! 😊 👍
Thanks Alan. Was a lovely day out! 😀
great video with lots of information, have seen a few youtubers do videos of this new line opening but yours has been the best I've watched 😄😄
Thanks so much @MerryRaven. 😀🚈
you made leven looks pretty nice! Some camera special fx was it!?
It’s all in the framing! 😀
Great video... I had to wait until after the opening before I could get a big cup of coffee though! 🤣
Thanks, Jen. I was working on the 2nd so I couldn't get there on opening day, sadly! ☕☕
We're working hard to make Fraserburgh and Peterhead the next connected to the railway. Look forward to welcoming you.
That’s great to hear. I’ll check out your website. Good luck! 😀
As someone who regularly travelled from Coaltown of Balgonie to Coaltown of Wemyss along the ancient track between the two villages its a pity the Scottish Government didn't give more taxpayers money to build a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to keep using this track. Maybe they will sometime in the future.
Fingers crossed. Thanks for watching.
Its a real shame that Scot Rail has ALREADY axed some services to/from Leven and that was even before the line opened! There was meant to be an hourly service that would allow a direct journey between Dunfermline and Leven (including stopping at the Glenrothes with Thornton station) that was never timetabled with an excuse of not enough rolling stock etc etc. Instead of the as-is hourly service this would have given Leven a half-hourly service to/from Edinburgh via two routes. One is as present via Kirkcaldy and the other one would have included Rosyth, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Cardenden and Glenrothes with Thornton. Yes, Scottish Rail could argue that we at Glenrothes with Thornton can still get to Leven BUT we now need to change at Inverkeithing and this adds to a silly amount of travel time. Instead of a direct 8 minutes (or so) journey from Thornton Station to Leven it takes OVER an hour including the change at Inverkeithing. It is meant to be part of the "Fife Circle" line except the circle has not been a circle for many years. It is a really a branch line from Inverkeithing that routes via Dunfermline and normally terminates at Glenrothes with Thornton. There is only something like one train a day that allows us to go from Thornton to Kirkcaldy. Shame on Scot Rail! For those not familiar with this route please use Google Maps to see what I am referring to.
They have committed to an hourly service via Dunfermline though haven’t they? 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV That was in the original timetable's plans. ScotRail had plenty time to get their drivers trained and to provide enough rolling stock. I fully suspect that a bit of derring-do is afoot and we will not get the original service (as planned). There will be the excuse that as people haven't been asking about it then they obviously don't need/want it so the service via Dunfermline will never be timetabled. Also, we used to be able to get a train direct from Glenrothes with Thornton (without changing at Edinburgh) to Galashiels (a newish re-established line) but within the last year (or so) we now need to change at Edinburgh! Call me an auld cynic but again another cut in provision for Fife.
Further when the Halbeath park-and-ride was conceived it was meant to be park-and-choose as the area selected was right beside the Fife Circle so that parkers could choose between train or bus to Edinburgh. However, ScotRail were not willing to amend the timetable so refused to get involved!
@thatsme1268 yeah the Glenrothes trains went to Newcraighall whilst they were rebuilding the Borders Railway, and then stopped once it opened. 😵💫
Well I actually got a train from Thornton all the way to Tweedsdale in August 2019.
lots of info, great video :) just discovered this channel- you have a new subscriber!
Thanks so much. I just watched your Leven video. I’d read someone had got stuck in the lift. Hadn’t realised it was a CZcamsr. 😮 What an experience and not what you planned, obviously, but a great video nonetheless. 😀
Many thanks for the video but looking at the direction the "new" line has taken, are they more likely to go on to Methil rather than Anstruther?
Yeah - they’ve boxed themselves in a bit haven’t they? 🤔
I always forget there's more than one river Leven, since I live close to the other one!
Yes! I did have to double check! 😂 Thanks for watching.
Thought you would have jumped at the chance of a dip in the sea at Leven with the Speedos
😮 That would not be a pretty sight!
Don’t want to spoil the party but Leven ain’t North Berwick!
Mind you, Imries Chip Shop is as good as you get in Anstruther
Ha ha! Maybe it has more potential to be like North Berwick now the railway is back! 🤔
Please don't say, "Forth Rail Bridge"! It is the "Forth Bridge"!
😀
I think you didn't mean 'unravelling' lol
😮
It’s not the forth rail bridge it is the Forth Bridge
Many of us who live in Edinburgh refer to it as the Rail Bridge to differentiate it from the Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing in conversation. 😀
55 years!!!!
Scary, eh?
Nice video but you had me gnashing my teeth in the first two minutes. You stated twice that the train was crossing the Forth Rail Bridge when in fact you were crossing the Forth Bridge. 🤬
☺️
another waste of money spent on a rail service to leven thats just as bad as kirkcaldy
😊
You don't need to say the Forth "rail" Bridge, we all ignore the other two
😀