New East Linton Station - Progress & Updates

[hibtastic]

To be fair that’s why I was asking the question. I would hate for the station to open with only a handful of trains.

 

[Starmill]

To be fair that’s why I was asking the question. I would hate for the station to open with only a handful of trains.

I do not think it is realistic to expect East Linton to open with more than the Dunbar ScotRail services, plus potentially some of the proposed services which are also calling at Reston.

Of course, it could improve thereafter.

 

[zwk500]

I would think 1tp2h is actually quite a good service for a village of less than 2,000 people on a double track 125mph route. Certainly London-Edinburgh traffic shouldn't be penalised for a political pet project.

 

[InOban]

AIRC the platforms won't be long enough for London services. It's aimed squarely at commuter traffic.

 

[zwk500]

AIRC the platforms won't be long enough for London services. It's aimed squarely at commuter traffic.

If the commuter is stopped in front of the London train, it will be penalised

 

[hibtastic]

I think it was mentioned before though that an hourly Dunbar stopper could be timetabled in without penalising the long distance services eventually. Hopefully this is still the case.

 

[Stopper]

If the commuter is stopped in front of the London train, it will be penalised

Usually a fast London-Edinburgh passes Dunbar a few minutes prior to the local leaving.

 

[hibtastic]

More trains set to stop at Dunbar

MORE trains travelling from Edinburgh to Newcastle will stop off at Dunbar before the end of the year.

www.eastlothiancourier.com

East Lothian Courier suggesting that East Linton will also be served by the new TPE services and these will increase to 7 per day in each direction from May 2022. The extra two services will only operate between Edinburgh and Berwick with the rest between Edinburgh and Newcastle.

 

[Mollman]

More trains set to stop at Dunbar

MORE trains travelling from Edinburgh to Newcastle will stop off at Dunbar before the end of the year.

www.eastlothiancourier.com

East Lothian Courier suggesting that East Linton will also be served by the new TPE services and these will increase to 7 per day in each direction from May 2022. The extra two services will only operate between Edinburgh and Berwick with the rest between Edinburgh and Newcastle.

October issue of Modern Railways also reporting this, so seems legit.

 

[swt_passenger]

I’ve just got back from next summer in my time machine. People were complaining that their so called Trans Pennine Express train didn’t actually go anywhere near the Pennines…

 

[hibtastic]

Presumably it’ll be run with 802s?

 

[adrock1976]

I have looked at the Scotland's Railway website, and it mentions that the reopened station will be located at or near Andrew Meikle Grove.

This is not near the good old fashioned Station Road, where there are existing bus stops which would have integrated both modes of public transport.

 

[hexagon789]

I have looked at the Scotland's Railway website, and it mentions that the reopened station will be located at or near Andrew Meikle Grove.

This is not near the good old fashioned Station Road, where there are existing bus stops which would have integrated both modes of public transport.

There are bus stops three mins walk from the far end of AMG (presumably the station wouldnt be at the far end though) at the junction with Orchardfield that the X7 serves for one; not right on the doorstep I'll grant you but hardly a major inconvenience is it, as having to walk all the way into East Linton might be?

Does the chosen location allow for parking space or more parking space that the original station area might not have?

 

[InOban]

Isn't the original location on a seriously canted curve?

 

[zwk500]

More to the point, how many people would be getting a bus to East Linton to change onto the train?

 

[hibtastic]

Hardly any will change from the bud to the train I’d imagine. East Linton is very walkable anyway.

I believe the station will be developed in tandem with the works at Markle to remove the current level crossing and replace it with a new over bridge further east.

 

[Stephen1001]

Hardly any will change from the bud to the train I’d imagine. East Linton is very walkable anyway.

I believe the station will be developed in tandem with the works at Markle to remove the current level crossing and replace it with a new over bridge further east.

I guess there's some potential for bus usage to the station from Haddington for journeys further east/south - there are frequent buses between the two and it's a reasonably-sized town with no nearer station that can be used for access in that direction (Drem and Longniddry being North Berwick only). Can't imagine it's a large market though, especially given the buses continue to Dunbar anyway, and access to the west would still be easier by just taking the bus into Edinburgh as it is now.

 

[Acfb]

I hope East Linton does well even if it mainly extracts users from Drem. I think it will be quite popular in East Linton itself. Not sure how many people will drive to it apart from places like Whitekirk and Tyninghame.

 

[och aye]

News release from Network Rail stating that preparatory work has started and that construction on the station will begin in 2022, no information about a completion date though.

Site set-up underway on East Linton station development

Preparatory work is underway ahead of the construction of the new East Linton station which will see trains call at the village for the first time in more than half a century.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Preparatory work is underway ahead of the construction of the new East Linton station which will see trains call at the village for the first time on more than half a century.


The team have started work to set up access roads and the site compound that will support the development over the next twelve months before marking out, clearing and levelling the area that will be the site of the new station.


Work on the station-proper at East Linton will begin early in 2022 and will see the construction of a two-platform station on the East Coast mainline, with 126 car parking spaces. The station itself will be fully accessible with lifts and a footbridge connecting both platforms with access for pedestrians and cyclists.

 

[hibtastic]

As a former East Linton resident and somebody that will use the train to get home to see the family, this is excellent news.

 

[68000]

Markle AHB complicates matters somewhat. The crossing is planned for closure but extra controls are needed in the signalling if the station opens whilst Markle is still operational and those controls will be redundant when the crossing closes. The most cost effective solution for the taxpayer is to tie the opening of the station to the closure of the crossing and not amend the signalling

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Thanks to @InOban for finding this one. The following update has been issued by Network Rail:
Construction starts on East Linton Station

Work is now underway to build the new East Linton station.

Following successful completion of preparatory work on the site, engineers building the new £15m station are about to begin piling to create the foundations for the new station platforms.

It is the first phase of construction activity which will culminate in a station opening in the East Lothian village for the first time in more than half a century.

The project will see the creation of a two-platform station on the East Coast mainline, with 125 car parking spaces. The station itself will be fully accessible with lifts and a footbridge connecting both platforms with access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Planned to be complete in 2023, the new station will offer a connection into Edinburgh Waverley for those commuting into the capital. It will support economic growth by providing a new public transport link and enabling residents from the area to access an expanded range of employment and leisure options.

It is hoped that the construction of the new station, and the improved connectivity it will bring, will act as a trigger for more investment and further development in the community.

Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said:

“I’m pleased that work is now starting to re-open the station at East Linton. This project demonstrates our ambition to expand Scotland’s Railway and our commitment to deliver all the benefits that new transport hubs bring to communities and to our Net Zero ambitions.

“As well as improving connectivity to the capital, the new station is a gateway for local people which will open-up greener end-to-end journeys for work, education and leisure.

“It is an exciting development that has the potential to transform life for local people and the communities the station will serve.”

Scotland’s Railway managing director Alex Hynes said: Scotland’s Railway has a great record of opening new stations and new transport hubs help drive further investment in communities and create new economic opportunities for the people they serve.

“We will work as quickly as possible to deliver this new station and open up Scotland’s Railway to more passengers in the east of the country.”

A station opened in the village of East Linton in 1846 but the last passenger services stopped in 1964.

Anyone with any questions about the project can email [email protected] or call the community helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

Notes to Editors

The plans for the new station at East Linton propose;

• Two new 158m long, 4m wide station platforms and associated furniture (waiting shelters, seating and ticket machines).
• A new footbridge will cross the railway, incorporating lift shafts and stairs on either side.
• Lighting columns throughout the site and associated infrastructure/ equipment including CCTV
• Car park, bus stop with shelter and a drop-off space. The car park would provide an initial 125 parking spaces including blue badge priority parking and 18 electric-vehicle charging points. We will build in capacity to add further electric vehicle charging points when required.
• Cycle storage facilities will be provided.

It is anticipated that the station at East Linton will open to passenger service in 2023.

 

[Meerkat]

How does the process work north of the border - I don't understand how these new stations pass any kind of business case check without having a train service agreed?
It sounds like a recipe for a very political process with some pork barrel stuff going on.

 

[Starmill]

How does the process work north of the border - I don't understand how these new stations pass any kind of business case check without having a train service agreed?
It sounds like a recipe for a very political process with some pork barrel stuff going on.

As I understand it, Scottish Ministers approved their share of funding even though the business cases had already identified that Reston didn't have any services which they could have stop, and East Linton only had four per day. Transport Scotland then had to convince / fund TransPennine Express and LNER to stop.

 

[hibtastic]

Just wondering if there is a possibility that ScotRail might stop their Edinburgh to Dunbar services at East Linton too or is it likely to just be the TPE services only?

 

[InOban]

I would have thought that only the ScotRail Dunbar services will call . Platforms too short for lner certainly.

 

[hibtastic]

I would have thought that only the ScotRail Dunbar services will call . Platforms too short for lner certainly.

Yeah LNER won’t call but the new TPE Newcastle/Berwick to Edinburgh service will call. I think it was to be 7 calls a day in each direction. It’s only a 5-car 802.

I just wondered if the ScotRail Dunbar services in between would also call.

 

[Starmill]

Yeah LNER won’t call but the new TPE Newcastle/Berwick to Edinburgh service will call. I think it was to be 7 calls a day in each direction. It’s only a 5-car 802.

I just wondered if the ScotRail Dunbar services in between would also call.

I would be very surprised indeed if none of the ScotRail Dunbar services call at East Linton.

 

[zwk500]

Yeah LNER won’t call but the new TPE Newcastle/Berwick to Edinburgh service will call. I think it was to be 7 calls a day in each direction. It’s only a 5-car 802.

I just wondered if the ScotRail Dunbar services in between would also call.

East Linton Station

scotlandsrailway.com

The Scotland's Railway website only mentions trains towards Berwick and Newcastle. Stopping too many trains on that part of the ECML will cause no end of capacity issues, and that's before you look at the financials.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Yeah LNER won’t call but the new TPE Newcastle/Berwick to Edinburgh service will call. I think it was to be 7 calls a day in each direction. It’s only a 5-car 802.

purely speculation on my part, but I would imagine Edinburgh-Berwick services would be left in the hands of Glasgow based TPE crews leaving the longer Newcastle-Edinburgh services in the hands of Newcastle based crews. That being the case it is feasible that 397s could be used on those services as Glasgow drivers and conductors/TM’s sign them but Newcastle doesn’t.