September 8 2021

IDP Architects and Arup have obtained planning consent to open a new station in the village of East Linton, East Lothian, on behalf of Network Rail.

The two platform halt on the East Coast Main Line will connect the village to the rail network for the first time in over half a century, capping two decades of campaigning from locals for the link to be reinstated.

Dominated by a high-level footbridge and connecting lifts the new station will provide a direct connection to Edinburgh Waverley, boosting employment prospects and access to amenities. Passenger services were first introduced in 1846 but ceased in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.

A construction timetable for its reinstatement has yet to be agreed but Scotland's Railway has expressed a desire to get on-site 'as quickly as possible.

Network Rail is in process of delivering a similar station further down the line at Reston on behalf of Scottish Borders Council. 

6 Comments

#1 Posted by Georwell 84 on 8 Sep 2021 at 12:53 PM

Good on East Linton. Meanwhile Parkhead Glasgow still waiting on station despite line running past Forge Mall and new Hospital for North East.

#2 Posted by Graeme McCormick on 8 Sep 2021 at 22:24 PM

Is is supposed to remind us of a 1960s coal mine?
Surely it's possible to design a station with a little bit more elegance

#3 Posted by Neil McAllister on 9 Sep 2021 at 16:06 PM

What happened to the standard new station designs from the RIBA/Network Rail competition, won by 7N?

#4 Posted by Islands of sanity on 9 Sep 2021 at 17:15 PM

Poisoned chalice. Housebuilders in time will swarm in to devour more precious good arable land, a scarcity in Scotland, and planners will be attracted to the idea of allocating land, able to tick the sustainability box. Bye bye nice village.

#5 Posted by JohnMF on 10 Sep 2021 at 10:40 AM

Adding yet another station stop between Edinburgh and Berwick will soak up so much line capacity. Someone will have to grasp the nettle and design at least one of the intermediate stations with a loop to allow long-distance trains to pass without stopping.

#6 Posted by Cateran on 10 Sep 2021 at 22:19 PM

I'm delighted this is going ahead but agree with the comments above that a wee bit (a lot) more effort should have gone into the design. As #4 states the detriment will be the wholesale loss of a very attractive part of East Lothian, a la Pencaitland etc.

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