Location type

Works

Name and dates

Longannet Power Station (1970-2016)

Served by the Longannet Power Station Loop (British Railways).

Description

This was a 2,400 megawatt coal fired power station, capable of using other fuels.

The power station was alongside Longannet Mine which provided it with coal by conveyor. In addition further coal was delivered by rail.

The rail facility was a large loop from the Stirling, Alloa, Kincardine and Dunfermline route. The loop met the main line with triangular junctions allowing a train to approach from either direction or leave in either direction without reversal. Much of the layout was on an area previously used for a rail served MOD depot.

With the closure of the route beyond Kincardine Power Station in 1981 most trains approached from the west, although there was loading at Kincardine Power Station from the latter 1980s.

With the closure of Longannet Mine in 2002 more trains were required and the additional trains, many with imported coal coming from Hunterston High Level, clogged up the railways of the Central Belt and Fife, and battered the Forth Bridge. The Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine line re-opened in 2008.

Failure to win a contract to supply electricity to the National Grid led to closure in 2016.

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