14-Month Road Closure for Thornton

Yesterday we learned that, on 17^th February 2026, Fife Council granted Network Rail a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) to close Main Street to all vehicles for 14 months, from 12^th May 2026 to July 2027. This will cut off all vehicle access to Thornton from the south (Kirkcaldy) for the entire period, effectively ending through traffic. Many local businesses rely on this through traffic for passing trade. Fife Council took this decision with no consultation whatsoever with the community, despite having known about Network Rail’s plans since September 2025.

The TTRO is to enable demolition of the existing bridge over the railway at Glenrothes with Thornton station and construction of a replacement bridge with a higher deck. This is intended to create clearance for electrical infrastructure as part of the Fife Electrification Project.

We only heard about this by chance three weeks ago, which prompted us to contact our ward councillors, Lynda Holton and Daniel Wilson, to ask for information. Neither councillor had been made aware of the intended works. They wrote directly to Network Rail to request details. To be clear: Fife Council did not inform our ward councillors that a disruption of this scale was planned for our village in a matter of weeks.

Residents should now have received a letter from Network Rail. The key points are:

1. Works are planned to start on 12^th May 2026 and last 14 months
2. Main Street will be closed to all vehicles for the duration (May 2026 to July 2027)
3. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout
4. There will be noise disruption, potentially 24 hours a day, due to day and night shifts
5. The station car park will remain accessible
6. Bus diversion plans are still being developed
7. The official diversion route is via the A92, with all traffic entering and leaving from the north end of Main Street (Glenrothes)
8. Public drop-in sessions will be held on 9^th and 22^nd April, 3.00pm–6.30pm, in the Town Hall

Network Rail were invited to attend our meeting on Monday 6^th April but have declined. We do not yet know whether Fife Council Transportation will attend to explain their actions and decision-making process.

We have many questions, including:

1. How did Fife Council determine that the TTRO application should be approved? What impact assessments were undertaken on the effects of a 14-month closure on residents and businesses?
2. The line between Haymarket and Dalmeny was closed for nine days in January to raise or rebuild multiple bridges and lower multiple sections of track. Why will replacing one bridge take 14 months?
3. Why are the track and station platforms not being lowered instead of installing a higher bridge – avoiding the disruption, cost to residents, and risk to local businesses?
4. The Fife Electrification Project is predicated on procuring Battery Electric Multiple Unit (BEMU) trains because the Forth Bridge will not be electrified. Why are communities being disrupted in this way if trains can switch to battery power?
5. What financial assistance, if any, will be available to local businesses that suffer a downturn in trade due to the closure?
6. How will buses be planned to operate during the closure?
7. Will a train service via Kirkcaldy be restored?
8. What provision is being made to ensure that properties north and south of the closure suffer no detriment to emergency-service response times?

To be clear, Thornton Community Council is not averse to progress, and supports the decarbonisation of the railway.  However, it is not acceptable for Network Rail or Fife Council to ride roughshod over our daily lives with no consultation or suitable forward planning for the effect this will have on the residents and businesses of Thornton.

If you are concerned about this, we urge you to attend the Network Rail information sessions on 9^th April and 22^nd April in Thornton Town Hall 3.00pm – 6.30pm both days.

If you are going to be negatively affected, especially if you are a local business owner, it’s imperative that you directly write to our MP to express your concerns.

richard.baker.mp@parliament.uk

Our next public meeting is on Monday 6^th April at 7.00pm in Thornton Bowling Club.  Our ward councillors will be in attendance.