£20 million station at Reston approved
Planning permission has been granted for a new station at Reston, on the East Coast Main Line.
Located around ten miles north of Berwick in the Scottish Borderlands, Reston itself is a small village. However, the station will act as a hub for the surrounding area, as part of plans to revitalise communities by opening up transport links and improving connectivity. The previous station closed in 1964.
The planned station will feature two 270-metre platforms, 70 car parking spaces, waiting shelters, seating and ticket machines. There will also be a new access road. The station itself will be fully accessible with lifts and a footbridge, while a transport interchange will also be built using a one-way loop road.
“The Scottish Government has committed funding for this scheme, which will have real potential to deliver a number of benefits for the local communities and also help towards our green recovery from the COVID19 pandemic,” said Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.
Claire Bhugowandeen, Network Rail’s sponsor for the Reston station project, added: “Now that we have clarity on the planning decision, we can move to get onsite as quickly as possible and work with our partners to deliver this new station for our customers and the wider Reston community.”
The project is expected to cost around £20 million, with NR now awaiting the final construction programme. Once that is delivered, a targeted opening date will be confirmed.
Transport Scotland is working with the rail industry to discuss and agree a service/stopping pattern at the station, and this will also be confirmed later this year.
CrossCountry, LNER and TransPennine Express currently serve this section of the ECML, with open access operator East Coast Trains due to begin running later this year. ScotRail runs as far as Dunbar on the ECML.