All aboard the NESCol Express!

April 1, 2019

North East Scotland College (NESCol) is delighted to announce its revolutionary new campus-to-campus transportation system: The NESCol Express Monorail.

The monorail service, which will be the first of its kind in the UK, will connect the College’s campuses across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and will be available to students, staff, and members of the public.

This ambitious project began as part of the College’s commitment to giving students a one-way ticket to success. It is hoped that completion of the monorail system will ensure that the people of the North East all hashtag Choo Choo Choose NESCol.

The 50-mile route will begin on Hareness Road, Aberdeen, and will travel along a coastal route, taking in views of Nigg Bay and the Aberdeen Harbour before stopping at NESCol’s rooftop station, situated on the eighth floor of the Gallowgate-based Tower Block.

From there, the electric-powered monorail will travel northbound, running parallel to the A90 until it reaches the Ellon Learning Centre. Here, riders will disembark down an inflatable slide and can access the vehicle via rope ladder.

The last leg of the journey will see the track head north over Mintlaw and Memsie, before docking at NESCol’s Fraserburgh Campus, where the car park is being replaced with an outdoor monorail station and docking space.

The venture will provide train-ing and work experience for students, with construction of the track being undertaken by Construction Crafts students, based on cutting-edge designs by those studying Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

Once construction is complete, scheduled for April 1 2020, further opportunities for work experience will be given to students from Hospitality, Art & Design and Business. NESCol is also currently seeking approval from the SQA for a brand new course: HND (SCQF level 8) Monorail Driving. The launch of this course would tie in with the maiden journey of the NESCol Express next year.

The project is being funded by an anonymous donation, and will generate a profit for the College.

A spokesperson from the NESCol Regional Board said:

“Our goal as an organisation is to keep our students on the right track for their future, so it just made sense to introduce a track to literally take them to us.

“Plans were almost derailed when the family of seagulls who currently live on the City Campus tower block roof put in an objection to the construction, but we have offered to rehome them at our more coastal Scottish Maritime Academy and things have been on a fast-track since then.

“It will help us provide students with work experience, to boost the local economy, and reach our green energy goals.”

So it’s next stop, NESCol for the North East. Construction on the monorail begins today at 12 noon.