Hopes for new Haddington train station dealt blow as Transport Scotland tells council case for new stop is 'weak'
Transport Scotland has said it is not in favour of the new train station and has instead told the council to improve bus links to nearby stations
Hopes of a new train station in an East Lothian market town have hit a set back after Transport Scotland told council officers the case was ‘weak’ and failed to provide evidence the benefits outweighed the costs.
A six-year long Haddington Transport Appraisal had led to East Lothian Council putting forward the case for a town centre stop with a half hourly service as the best option to tackle traffic pressures as the county comes under increasing pressure from its growing population.
However a report lodged in the council’s members library this month reveals Transport Scotland was not in favour of the rail link option and had instead told the council to look at improving bus links to existing train stations at Longniddry and East Linton, rather than seeking to fund another rail stop.
East Linton railway station opened in December 2023 and is less than six miles from Haddington.
In their response to the council, Transport Scotland dismissed the case for another station in Haddington saying: “There is no clear rationale for the lack of consideration of options which would improve integration between bus services between Haddington and rail services at other stations in the area, for example at Longniddry and East Linton.
“The lack of detailed appraisal of bus and bus/rail integration options means that there is a lack of confidence that all options with the potential to deliver overall value for money have been fully considered.”
In their report to members, officers say the most recent options put before Transport Scotland were the result of a study funded by the Local Development Rail Fund which focused on the long held aspirations to reopen rail links in Haddington saying the government body’s criticism of a lack of bus options was “somewhat contradictory” under the circumstances.
They added: “Nevertheless, Transport Scotland maintained that the appraisal still needed to demonstrate that rail represented the preferred solution when compared with alternative transport interventions and that key options were removed without sufficient justification, including: bus priority measures; enhanced bus services.; Light Rapid Transit (LRT) or improved bus and rail integration via existing stations at Longniddry and East Linton.”
They said: “As a result, Transport Scotland has low confidence that the most effective and best value transport solution has been identified.
“Until alternative lower-cost options are properly assessed, it will be difficult to demonstrate that a rail reopening represents the preferred investment option.
“In addition, Transport Scotland states clearly that none of the rail options provide value for money.”
The report concludes Transport Scotland recommends the council considers bus priorities as a better value route for improved outcomes for Haddington.