Reston railway station

Reston railway station served the village of Reston in Scotland between 1846 and 1964. It was on the main line of the North British Railway and for most of its life was the junction for the branch to Duns. The line passing through the station is still in use as the East Coast Main Line, and the station itself is expected to be reopened in the future.

Reston
Station site, 1997
LocationReston, Scottish Borders
Scotland
Coordinates55.8506°N 2.1972°W / 55.8506; -2.1972
Grid referenceNT877619
Platforms3
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyNorth British Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
22 June 1846 (1846-06-22)Station opened
13 August 1849Duns branch opened
10 September 1951Duns branch closed
4 May 1964 (1964-05-04)Station closed

History

The main line of the North British Railway, between Edinburgh (North Bridge) and Berwick-upon-Tweed, was authorised either on 4 July 1844[1] or on 19 July 1844,[2] and opened to the public on 22 June 1846.[3][1][4] One of the original stations was Reston, which was flanked by Grantshouse towards Edinburgh and Ayton towards Berwick.[5] The initial service was of five trains each way on weekdays, and two on Sundays.[3]

The station became a junction with the opening of the branch to Duns on 13 August 1849;[6][7] this line was later extended by the Berwickshire Railway, reaching Earlston on 16 November 1863 and St. Boswells on 2 October 1865.[8][9] The main line ran roughly east–west through Reston, but turned to the south-east in the eastbound direction. The line to Duns and St. Boswells began at a junction facing Berwick-upon-Tweed and ran southwards towards the first station at Chirnside.[10]

Facilities

In 1904 the station (then listed as Reston for Coldingham and St. Abbs) was able to handle all classes of traffic (goods, passengers, parcels, wheeled vehicles, livestock, etc.) and there was a goods crane capable of lifting 1.5 long tons (1,524 kg).[11] Between Reston and Chirnside (on the Duns line) there were sidings known as Auchencrow Siding (just south of the road overbridge at grid reference NT860599) and Billiemains Sidings (just north of the road underbridge at NT858593), each on the western side of the line and able to handle goods only.[12][13]

Maps of the period show that Reston station had platforms on both sides of the double-track main line which were linked by a footbridge; the station building was on the northern (eastbound) platform; the platform for the single-track Duns line was on the north side of that line; the goods yard with its crane was on the north side of the main line on the western side of the station; and that the junction was to the east of the station. The maps also show sidings close to the junction, a weighing machine in the goods yard, a turntable in the angle between the two routes, a signal box near the junction and several signals.[13]

Decline and closure

The St. Boswells line was cut back to Duns following flood damage on 12 August 1948.[9] The Duns branch closed to passengers on 10 September 1951,[7][14] and to freight on 16 July 1965.[15] Reston and Grantshouse stations were listed for closure in the first Beeching report,[16] and duly closed on 4 May 1964;[17] Ayton had closed on 5 February 1962.[18]

The remaining infrastructure at Reston consists of two engineer's sidings, one on each side, and two crossovers 47 miles 14 chains (75.9 km) from Edinburgh Waverley.[19]

The future

Proposals to reopen the station have received the backing of John Lamont MSP, who has taken the case to the Scottish Parliament.[20] A study published in 2013 proposed that East Linton and Reston stations be reopened.[21]

Since Abellio ScotRail took over the franchise in April 2015, they have now committed to reopening East Linton and Reston Stations as part of the local Berwick service by December 2016 but owing to the shortage of rolling stock services to Reston will now commence by 2021. East Linton, however, will commence in late 2018.[22]

In 2019, Transport Scotland confirmed that the station would be operational by 2024.[23] The outline plans for the new station include 260-metre platforms either side of the Berwick-to-Edinburgh line, long enough to accommodate a 10-carraige train, as well as an accessible footbridge, shelters and a 70-space car park with provision for expansion in the future.[24][25] In December 2020, a planning application for a new station was submitted.[26] The application was approved in February 2021 and construction is expected to begin later in the year.[27]

Notes
  1. Awdry 1990, p. 152.
  2. Ellis 1959, p. 5.
  3. Ellis 1959, p. 11.
  4. Butt 1995, p. 196.
  5. Ellis 1959, p. 8.
  6. Ellis 1959, p. 13.
  7. Butt 1995, p. 86.
  8. Butt 1995, p. 87.
  9. Awdry 1990, p. 117.
  10. Conolly 1976, p. 31, section C3.
  11. RCH 1970, p. 457.
  12. RCH 1970, pp. 120, 457.
  13. OS 1908.
  14. Railscot.
  15. Dunse History Society.
  16. Beeching 1963, pp. 124, 125.
  17. Butt 1995, pp. 108, 196.
  18. Butt 1995, p. 22.
  19. Yonge 2007, map 11C.
  20. BBC News 2012.
  21. BBC News 2013.
  22. "Reston and East Linton station reopening proposals supported". BBC News. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  23. "Reston station re-opening by 2024". Berwick Advertiser. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  24. Knox, David (25 February 2020). "Reston Station plans submitted". Border Telegraph.
  25. "Reston Station FAQs". Scotland's Railway. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  26. "Planning application for Reston station submitted". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  27. "Reston station return approved after more than 50 years". BBC News. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.

References
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Ayton
Line open, station closed		   North British Railway
NBR Main Line		   Grantshouse
Line open, station closed
Disused railways
Terminus   North British Railway
Berwickshire Railway		   Chirnside
Line and station closed
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