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East Linton Station

East Linton Station

Work is complete on the new, fully accessible, two-platform station on the East Coast Main Line.

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Faqs

We understand that you will have many questions about the new East Linton Station and we have tried to answer them below.

If the answer to your query is not below, please use our contact form to share your question with the project team and they will come back to you.

The most recent questions will appear nearest the top.

  • When will the station be open to the public?

    The construction of the new station and car park is now complete. Passenger services will begin calling at East Linton station from 13 December 2023.

  • When did work begin on site.

    Site assembly started in December 2021 where we cleared the ground and set up welfare facilities within the compound.

    Work will start on construction of the station in February 2022.

    The initial phase of work involves piling for the foundations of the station platforms. This has to be at nights for safety reasons and will take place on Saturday and Sunday nights through February and March.

  • What is being constructed at East Linton?

    We are constructing a new station and station car park for East Linton.

  • Were local residents involved in the planning process?

    We presented the proposals to the local community and other interested stakeholders.

    We wanted to hear as many views as possible about the proposals and get a better understanding of how we can deliver a new station that best suits the local community in advance of submitting a planning application.

    As with any other planning application submitted to the local authority, submissions and comments regarding the applications were received by the council.

    Network Rail submitted the planning application for the development in December 2020 and it was approved by East Lothian Council on September 2021.

  • Will the station be accessible for all?

    Yes. The station is fully accessible, with lifts and a footbridge enabling step free access to both platforms for persons of reduced mobility, and passengers with pushchairs/ luggage.

  • How close will the station be to the nearest homes?

    The land allocated in the local development plan is being used to build the station. Network Rail was also allocated land to build the Council car park.

  • How many parking spaces will there be and are there electric car charging points?

    There will be 114 spaces in the car park. Initially 18 of these will offer electric-car charging points – however we will make provision for this number to grow in the future as required.

    The car park will also offer blue badge holder spaces as well as drop-off point and bus/stop turning circle.

  • When will the first and last train go through the station?

    We are working with Transport Scotland and train operators to provide a timetable which will provide a real alternative to the car. We will communicate that information widely, including the frequency and stopping patterns, when it has been finalised.

  • How many train carriages will the new station be able to host? How long will the platforms be?

    East Linton station will be able to accommodate a 6 carriage train

  • What other facilities will be at the stations? (Ticket office, toilet, WIFI, waiting room etc)

    There will be waiting shelters, seating, ticket machines, help points and CCTV, cycle parking provision and drop off point.

  • Will there be any increase in noise when the station is operational?

    Once operational, the volume of any public address equipment within the station, will be loosely monitored to ensure it maintains appropriate limits.

  • Does the location for the new station have issues with flooding?

    We are aware of these concerns. We will continue to investigate and monitor this and develop our design to ensure it isn’t a barrier to the accessibility of the station.

  • What traffic measures are you putting in place within the streets next to the station?

    A full traffic assessment has been completed for the roads and submitted as part of the planning application.

    East Lothian Council are responsible for the roads on the approach and around the station and they are aware of the concerns of the nearby residents and will continue to monitor the roads to deal with any issues.

  • Why are we building a footbridge/lifts and not the existing underpass?

    The primary driver for a footbridge and lifts is to deliver step-free access across the railway and on to both platforms. While we looked at the underpass as a legitimate option to provide a step-free route across the railway, the distance of the walking-route that this would create (measured from platform to platform) would mean that it would not be compliant with current guidance on how we create accessible and user-friendly stations.

    While we appreciate that the lift towers are significant structures, their scale is necessary for a number of reasons. The railway at this location is electrified using overhead wires and sits on an embankment. This leads to the lifts being at three levels; ground – platform – bridge. The footbridge has to sit at a safe height over the electric wires. Consequently, these factors combine to mean that the lifts can appear to be both visible and imposing – but unavoidably so.

    In light of this, we design these structures as much as possible to fit with the surrounding environment and use appropriate colours and finishes to minimise their overall impact on the surrounding environment and the sky-line.

  • Why does the station require two access points? Can you not create one access point from the car park?

    The role of the station is to serve the community by enhancing transport networks and improving connectivity. Creating safe walking/cycling routes makes it more likely that people will use these methods to get to the station rather than using the car. Accesses on both sides of the station also better serves the community now and as it grows in the future.

  • Why are the access paths so wide?

    The paths have been agreed with the local Council and comply with the appropriate dimensions and standards required for this development. They are the required width to enable people to safely cycle and walk to the station.

  • The proposed project is very close to the school right next to train station – is this an issue?

    Safety is our top priority and we take every opportunity open to us to educate people an appropriate behaviour around the railway. The addition of a station with additional vehicle movements to and/from will increase the risk but we will engage with local schools, community groups and partners to highlight the dangers and reinforce the rail safety messages.