Kingswells: A Transport Corridor 130 Years in the Making

Kingswells may be a modern community, but its transport story reaches far deeper into local history than many realise. Long before the Park & Ride, dual carriageway or bypass appeared, the western approach to Aberdeen was already seen as a vital corridor — one important enough that Victorian engineers wanted to build a railway through it.

The Railway That Never Reached Kingswells

In 1897, local landowners promoted the “Echt and Waterton Light Railway,” planned to run from Echt into Aberdeen.

A surviving poster advertises a public meeting in Kirkton of Skene urging support for the proposal. Had it gone ahead, the line would likely have travelled along the same geographical route as the A944 today — passing the land that would later become Kingswells.

A Light Railway Order was granted, but increasing costs and objections halted progress.

No track was ever laid, and Kingswells lost what later historians called a “lost opportunity” for a station and early rail link to Aberdeen.

Aberdeen Rapid Transit: A New Version of an Old Idea

Over a century later, Aberdeen City Council and Nestrans are working on Aberdeen Rapid Transit (ART) — a modern mass-transit system using dedicated lanes, high-capacity vehicles and faster boarding.

And once again, the Westhill → Kingswells → City Centre corridor is key.

ART planning documents describe it as a strategic growth route, essential for connecting housing, jobs and education to Aberdeen. In effect: it mirrors the same west-to-east alignment the Victorians proposed.

Why the Corridor Keeps Coming Back

The line of travel through Kingswells has remained important for three reasons:

1. Geography – it’s the natural western gateway into the city.
2. Population growth – Westhill, Kingswells and Aberdeen’s western edge have expanded significantly.
3. Commuting pressure – the A944 remains one of the busiest approach roads into Aberdeen.

When you place the 1897 railway route beside the proposed ART route, the resemblance is striking.

Then & Now: What It Means for Kingswells

Kingswells sits at the junction of a historic “what if” and a modern “what next.”

• 120 years ago, we nearly had steam trains running past the village.
• Today, we’re being considered as a key stop in a new rapid-transit future.

Whether ART succeeds where the Victorian railway failed remains to be seen — but Kingswells is once again in the heart of the conversation.