East Linton Railway Station work to take place through night

Work began at the new £15 million station earlier this month, with hopes trains could be calling at the village before the end of next year.

Engineers are about to start piling to create the foundations for the new station platform.

Community rail group RAGES (Rail Action Group East of Scotland) highlighted the work and a spokesperson for the group said: “Piling is among the noisiest activities they do on the railway and, as it is close to the running line, it has to be at night for safety reasons.

“They will be piling on both Saturday and Sunday nights from February 12 until the end of March.

“The work will be from 11pm to 9am on Saturday nights and from 11pm until 5.30am on Sunday nights.

“They will, where appropriate, use a less disruptive piling method (vibration piling) but some hammer piling is unavoidable. ”

READ MORE: Major step forward for long-awaited railway station at East Linton

Planning permission was given by East Lothian Council last year for a railway station to return to East Linton for the first time in more than 50 years.

Once complete, the two-platform station will feature lifts and a footbridge connecting the platforms, with access for pedestrians and cyclists.

A car park with 125 spaces, including Blue Badge priority parking and 18 electric vehicle charging spaces, will be created, and cycle storage facilities will also be provided on the site.

Jenny Gilruth MSP, Scotland’s Transport Minister, was pleased to see work progressing.

She said: “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.”

Trains could be calling at East Linton Railway Station before the end of next year. Picture: Network Rail

Paul McLennan, East Lothian MSP, was “over the moon” that work was under way.

He said: “This is the beginning of the end of a long process for the community in East Linton, which will bring better access to the village and an economic boost to the community.

“I look forward now to the day the station opens and we can celebrate another milestone in improving East Lothian’s connectivity and sustainable transport.”

Craig Hoy, South Scotland MSP, was pleased to see the station being built but highlighted concerns.

READ MORE: Fears new East Linton train station could be a 'white elephant'

He said: “While I welcome the decision for a station to be built at East Linton, this needs to be accompanied by clarity on the number of trains that will be servicing the village.

“It is important that Network Rail conducts work on the new station sensitively and that they are responsive to thoughts and concerns of local residents on any issues that might arise from the station’s construction.

“It is crucial that once the new station is open, this is not seen as a green light for developers, as it is important to preserve the character of East Linton and to ensure that future development is restricted.”

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

Martin Whitfield, South Scotland MSP, highlighted the work of former county MSP Iain Gray.

He said: “I welcome the start of work on the new railway station in East Linton, which is set to bring significant benefits for the village.

“Reaching this stage has been in large part due to the hard work of rail campaigners RAGES, as well as former MSP Iain Gray and East Lothian Council, which has made a substantial financial commitment to the station project.”