We are currently working to secure the reopening of Reston Station in Berwickshire and East Linton Station in East Lothian as part of a new local rail service between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
This work is being carried out in partnership with:
- East Lothian Council
- South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran)
- local rail action group RAGES
Benefits of reopening the station
The new rail service could deliver a number of benefits to Berwickshire such as:
- providing residents with easier access to the employment and education markets in Edinburgh
- encourage more people to visit the Berwickshire area
- help to revitalise Reston village and present development opportunities for the surrounding area
Progress to date
Transport consultants completed a report at the end of 2013 which provided more details on the provision of a local rail service between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed and formed the basis of a bid to the Scottish Stations Fund. This fund is a Scottish Government scheme that allows Local Authorities the opportunity to bid for money to develop new rail stations in their area.
A joint funding bid with East Lothian Council was submitted to the Scottish Stations Fund in May 2014 for new rail stations at Reston and East Linton.
In November 2014, it was announced by Scottish Government that Abellio, who won the competition to run the new ScotRail Franchise, would provide a two hourly local rail service between Edinburgh and Berwick-Upon-Tweed that will call at new stations at Reston and East Linton. This news was particularly significant and shows a real commitment from the Scottish Government and the new ScotRail operator.
Next steps
In March 2015 we, along with East Lothian Council and SEStran, appointed Network Rail to undertake the detailed design associated with the delivery of two new stations at Reston and East Linton. It is expected that this work will be completed in the spring of 2016