Train service returns to East Linton after nearly 60 years

The train on Wednesday was the first to visit the village of East Linton since services stopped in 1964

A rail service has returned to the East Lothian village of East Linton for the first time in nearly 60 years.

On Wednesday morning passengers boarded the first train to stop in the village since 1964.

The train was greeted at the new £15m station by a piper, local school children and the Scottish government's transport minister Fiona Hyslop.

Locals had been campaigning for the return of the station for more than two decades.

The new station has two platforms, 114 car parking spaces and 18 electric vehicle charging points.

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There are lifts and a new footbridge connecting both platforms, with access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Commuters will now be able to travel directly from the village into Edinburgh Waverley, with direct access to the East Coast Main Line also available for services to Dunbar and Newcastle.

East Lothian Council leader Norman Hampshire said it was a historic moment for the community.

"People living nearby will benefit greatly from improved transport connections," he said.

The original station opened at East Linton in 1846 but services were stopped 118 years later.

About 130,000 journeys are expected to be made to and from the village in the first year of the new station's operation.

Ms Hyslop said: "Our aim is to encourage more people out of their car and on to sustainable public transport.

"The station will open up education, leisure and business opportunities for East Linton's growing community, while also offering greener ways to travel."

Services at the station will be provided by both ScotRail and TransPennine Express, with 22 services each weekday calling at East Linton.