Reston gets its station back after 58 years

Passenger rail services are stopping at a Borders village for the first time in 58 years.

A new multi-million pound station will help link Reston north to Edinburgh and south towards Newcastle.

It is the conclusion of a lengthy battle to secure the stop on the East Coast Main Line.

Villagers in Reston - which has about 200 homes - said it would provide a major boost for connectivity from the south-east of Scotland.

Anne Barrett, 70, has lived in the area for 26 years and is chairperson of the village hall trustees.

Now retired, she said the new station would transform daily life and encourage more people of all ages to come and live in the area.

"As I get older, like many, I am aware that I may not wish to drive into Edinburgh or Newcastle, so look forward to being able to use the train," she said.

"Having the station open is going to allow people in Reston and the area the opportunity of remaining in the area and travelling outwith to work and socialise.

"We now have more young families moving into the village."

Dawn Inglis, 56, is a supply teacher at Eyemouth High School and a relief librarian.

She has also lived in Reston for more than 20 years and said the new station would let her visit relatives more easily.

"I'm really excited about the station reopening," she said.

"It means I will be able to travel south to Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle, where I have family, without the need for using the busy and often dangerous A1.

"Also, my daughter is off to university in Edinburgh after the summer, so I will be able to visit her directly by train."

Ms Inglis said she believed the reopening of the station would also benefit others.

"For the wider community it will mean better transport links to jobs, both locally at Berwick and further afield," she said.

"The young people will benefit from access to further education by using the train service.

"The local area - particularly Coldingham and St Abbs - are very popular tourist destinations and if the bus service links up with the trains, holidaymakers could access these beauty spots without using a car."

The return of passenger services comes after a lengthy battle to improve rail services in the area.

More than a decade ago a feasibility study looked at the possibility of reopening a station on the East Coast Main Line.

A funding package for the project has since been put together with backing from Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish government.

Network Rail said the £20m facility could cater for 10-carriage trains and the footbridge was the first of its kind to be fitted on the UK rail network.

"Reston station is an investment in transport but also in our economy, communities and our environment," it said in a statement.

"It will deliver significant benefits by enhancing the public transport network, improving active travel networks and developing economic, leisure and tourism potential.

"It will serve the village and wider Berwickshire area and will enable easy access to Edinburgh and Newcastle and onwards across the national rail network.

"As well as improving transport connectivity, it will help transform the economic outlook of the area it will serve."

Transport minister Jenny Gilruth, who travelled on one of the first services to stop at the station, said she was delighted to see it open.

"We know that reconnecting communities to rail isn't just about transport," she said.

"It's opening up employment opportunities, it's driving investment and it's creating opportunity for future generations.

"This investment will change the lives of the people of Reston for the better."

There has been some criticism ahead of the reopening of the number of services stopping at the station and the timing of them.

Network Rail said it would be served by eight trains per weekday in each direction - mainly run by TransPennine Express but one by London North Eastern Railways.

The first of those services called shortly after 06:00 on Monday.

It was a moment they have long waited for in this corner of south east Scotland.