There was a time when railway links connected most of the Stirling Council area.
From the city centre, you could reach Callander, Doune, Crianlarich, Aberfoyle, Killearn, Bannockburn and more.
These days, the bus is your only option if you don’t own a car, and some locals don’t think services are up to scratch.
Is it time to bring rail travel back to the Stirling area, similar to the reinstatement of the Borders railway line?
Here’s a closer look at where Stirling’s trains used to run.
Dunblane to Oban via Callander
Areas of historic Perthshire that are now part of the Stirling district were once easily accessible by rail.
A line from Dunblane to Callander via Doune opened in 1858.
This was extended in phases over the next few decades, linking Callander to Oban, with stops including Strathyre, Balquidder, Killin, Luib, and Crianlarich.
This route was sadly axed in 1965 as part of cuts to railway lines across Britain.
A report by Dr Richard Beeching, who was chairman of the British Railways Board in the 1960s, led to the closure of around 850 miles of passenger railway lines in Scotland.
While the stretch from Crianlarich to Oban still runs today, passengers who want to travel by rail have to go via Glasgow to reach Stirling.
Most of the railway stations on the route were demolished following Beeching’s report.
Stirling to Balloch
From Stirling, you could also once reach Gargunnock, Kippen, Port of Menteith, Buchlyvie, Balfron and Drymen by rail.
The Forth and Clyde Junction Railway, which ran to Balloch, ceased operating passenger services in 1934.
By 1965, goods were also no longer transported using the route.
Aberfoyle and Killearn
Connecting with this line was the Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway.
It was shut in the 1950s, but extended the Blane Valley Railway that ran from Lennoxtown to Killearn, with stops in Dumgoyne, Blanefield, Strathblane and Campsie Glen.
Both Aberfoyle and Gartmore were also served by this route.
The Blane Valley line took no passengers past 1951 and also closed to freight by 1959.
Stirling and Dunfermline
Causewayhead had its own station on the Stirling to Dunfermline route.
This went through Alloa, though it was axed in 1955, with the Stirling to Alloa portion being the only surviving link.
There are hopes that this line could reopen, since Dunfermline and Alloa are only 14 miles apart, but it currently takes two hours and six minutes to travel between the two by train.
As part of the Alloa Railway, Throsk was also served by rail from 1890 to 1966.
This line had a swing bridge over the River Forth
Where else had a station?
Kinbuck, near Dunblane, had its own stop on the Stirling to Perth line.
The station opened in 1848 and closed to passengers in 1956, though the line is still used today.
Bannockburn and Plean were both stops from 1848 to 1950 and 1904 to 1956, respectively.
These were also part of the Scottish Central Railway, which connected Stirling and Perth to the rest of the central belt.
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