The RAGES Rag SPRING 2020, Issue 74 The newsletter of the Rail Action Group, East of Scotland, bringing members up-to-date with progress on improvements to local rail services. left: First train to stop at Dunbar’s Platform 2 was the 10.04 to Edinburgh (ex- Newcastle) on Sunday 15/12/2019, formed of an LNER East Coast Trains Azuma. (Photograph: T. Dickson) Follow us on: Website www.rages.org.uk Twitter @RailActionGrpES www.facebook.com/RailActionGroup DUNBAR PLATFORM 2 OPENING CEREMONY DUNBAR STATION – NEW Upon Tweed at a later stage. span footbridge and lift access DOWN PLATFORM The introduction of this new from each platform. northbound second platform for The official opening ceremony Dunbar railway station platform 2 Dunbar will provide increased involved a ribbon cutting and was officially opened on Tuesday capacity and improved plaque unveiling, the ribbon 17/12/2019. operational flexibility for local cutting was performed by Jacquie The opening of platform 2 is an and cross border services on the Bell from Dunbar Community RAGES enabler of one of strategic East Coast Main Line. Council. In attendance were aims of an improved rail service The £13 million investment by between Edinburgh and Dunbar Transport Scotland has delivered (continued on P2) with services extended to Berwick a new 271m platform with a 30m INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. DUNBAR PLATFORM 2 OPENING CEREMONY 2. TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS (TPE) BEGINS NEW SERVICE TO DUNBAR 3. LNER STAKEHOLDER MEETING 4. INTERCITY 125 HST’S FAREWELL 5. EAST LINTON & RESTON STATIONS UPDATE 6. PETER BRETT STUDY 7. ORR REPORT 8. STPR2 REPORT 9. RAGES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019 10. PRESENTATION TO TOM THORBURN Page 1 of 8 DUNBAR STATION – NEW DOWN PLATFORM (concluded East Lothian Council has from P1) approved plans to install an access Services from Edinburgh. point from the new platform into The station, which was first representatives from Transport for the neighbouring housing estate, opened by the North British Scotland, Network Rail and their near the underpass at the north end Railway in June 1846, used to contract partners, local residents, of the station. When the additional have two platforms and an RAGES and Dunbar Community access is built, a footpath link will overall roof. Both features no Council. be provided to connect into the longer exist - the northbound The new platform will be long new platform. For further platform loop line was taken enough to accommodate the new 10- information please contact East out of use and lifted in the car, Hitachi Super Express Train. Lothian Council. early 1970’s, whilst the The project timeline was: Dunbar railway station serves the platform itself and the station Spring 2017 – initial designs. town of Dunbar in East Lothian, roof were both removed April 2018 – planning consents Scotland. It is located on the East during the modernisation and received. Coast Main Line and is now a two electrification by British Rail November 2018 – Amco appointed platform station. The main of the northern end of the East as main contractor. platform (One) is located on a Coast Main Line in 1987-88. Winter 2018 – detailed design and loop adjacent to the main through additional survey works. lines. The second platform is on May 2019 – works to create a new the main northbound line which platform due to commence. (below left: Invited guests has officially operated trains pose at the opening March 2020 – all construction stopping there since 15 December activities completed. ceremony of Dunbar 2019. Prior to December 2019, the Platform 2 on Tuesday 17th The new platform will provide line on which the main platform is December 2019. located was bi-directional increased capacity and improve Photograph: T. Dickson) (meaning that trains travelling operational flexibility. Previously all to/from London or Edinburgh northbound and southbound services had to use the same platform. Waverley had to take it in turns to Northbound stopping services will use the station if they were scheduled to stop there). With all (below right: An aerial view now use the new platform. of Dunbar station taken for There are aspirations by train Northbound services the opening ceremony for companies operating on the East now using the second platform and Platform 2, looking towards Coast Main Line to operate more no longer using the main platform long distance and local services on loop (with the exception of the Edinburgh and showing the the route. These couldn’t be 0700 Cross Country to Glasgow) new platform and footbridge. accommodated with the previous and all terminating ScotRail Photograph: T. Dickson) infrastructure. Page 2 of 8 TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS (TPE) BEGINS NEW SERVICE TO DUNBAR TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS (TPE) BEGINS NEW SERVICE TO DUNBAR TransPennine Express’s new Nova trains began running from Liverpool to Edinburgh in early December. On Monday to Saturday, the 05.15 from Edinburgh Waverley will call at Dunbar at 05.50, and on Monday to Friday, the 22.15 from Edinburgh Waverley will call at Dunbar at 22.51, and will also call at Berwick and Morpeth. RAGES welcomes this new provider at Dunbar and hopes to see additional TPE services (above: One of the new 5-car TransPennine Express (TPE) sets now in the future. in use on the Edinburgh-Liverpool service passes Reston. Photograph: B. Forrest) LNER STAKEHOLDER MEETING LNER STAKEHOLDER MEETING around the London area. A (below:The LNER Stakeholder Meeting question from me on On November 19th 2019, Barrie attended by RAGES Chairman Barrie Portobello junction works or RAGES Forrest and Secretary Allison Cosgrove Forrest ( Chairman) and the progress of electrification Photograph: B. Forrest) Allison Cosgrove (RAGES in Scotland could not be Secretary) attended the above. answered, although to be This is an annual event where fair, a member of staff community representatives contacted me shortly after along the LNER route are the event. Considering there invited to hear the latest news were at least seven Scottish from LNER staff. Allison representatives present, as reported “The focus this year well as some from Yorkshire was very much on the new and the North East, it would Azumas and this formed the seem better to include a basis of the event. While this more comprehensive was interesting, it has been in upgrade programme than the news for some months now London only. and Barrie and I would have liked more up to date A good networking event information on services. and no cost to attend or to Some information was given on travel.” upgrades to works, chiefly Page 3 of 8 INTERCITY 125 HST’S FAREWELL the East Coast Main Line the network, are in service, the HST's are no INTERCITY 125 HST’S FAREWELL (ECML) and have seen many longer required on the ECML. different liveries with as many However, some HSTs are being upgraded to As part of the farewell tours of operators: British Rail; run on the ScotRail network. the High Speed Train GNER; National Express East (below: ‘The Northumbrian’ seen waiting organised by LNER between Coast; East Coast; Virgin to leave Dunbar on 20th December 18th and 21st December 2019, Trains East Coast; and latterly 2019.Although the train is standing at "The Northumbrian" ran from LNER. Platform 1, the photo shows the new Edinburgh to Leeds on 20th Many HST's were displaced in platform and footbridge. December 2019. The HST set the early 1990s by the Photograph: T. Dickson) had been specially re-painted InterCity 225 electric trains on in its original Inter-City 125 the ECML, but some were still blue and grey livery. needed for the services to These diesel trains have had a Glasgow, Inverness and long association with Dunbar. Aberdeen where the electric First introduced onto the overhead wires had not Western Region of British Rail reached. in 1977, in the early 1980s Now that the Azumas, which they replaced the Deltic can change to diesel operation locomotive-hauled trains on for the non-electrified parts of EAST LINTON & RESTON STATIONS UPDATE EAST LINTON & RESTON using a common sense approach. planning and work involved in STATIONS UPDATE Transport Scotland has asked building a new station in their Network Rail to consider the use of community. STEM ambassadors th On 18 November 2019, RAGES lifts as part of this work. will engage with pupils to teach Chairman Barrie Forrest wrote to Network Rail intend to submit their youngsters all about the railway Sarah Cooper of TransportScotland planning application in late Spring and the importance of STEM asking for an update on the plans for 2020 but in advance of this are subjects which are needed for the East Linton and Reston stations. Her already collating the information to next generation of railway th reply of 7 January 2020 is given undertake an Environmental below. Impact Assessment (EIA), as the (continued on P5) “Network Rail, with their designer, first stage in the planning (below: East Linton signalbox are progressing with the designs for application process. & footbridge shortly prior to both stations. A holistic approach is Network Rail’s contractor will closure in 1977. being taken to the design of the station provide a dedicated Photograph Courtesy of: J. ensuring that the end to end journey communications representative for Clark) undertaken by passengers is the two new stations and considered and reflected in the design. community liaison will begin in This includes consideration of the earnest in early spring. Project appropriate means of access for information will be shared, and passengers. Network Rail have asked feedback sought through their designer to identify as a priority community/ public events. The whether ramped access to the project will also take the platforms would be compliant with opportunity to visit nearby primary industry standards and negotiable for schools and inform pupils of the individuals with reduced mobility, Page 4 of 8 EAST LINTON & RESTON “We will shortly begin survey your property overnight is far from STATION UPDATES (concluded work and site investigation ideal, but we are legally obliged to from P4) activity on railway land in your work on the railway at times that workers.