Delivering Winchburgh Rail Station: FOI release

Information requested

Having read with increasing incredulity the story of delivering Winchburgh Rail Station, I write to request a statement setting out the respective roles and responsibilities of the following bodies and organisations under the law and current policies for delivering the long overdue station.

1. The Scottish Government.

2. Transport Scotland.

3. The local authority.

4. The developer.

5. Network Rail.

6. Scotland's Railway.

7. Any other public or private body with a role in delivering the station.

Response

The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland

Transport Scotland is the national transport agency, and part of Scottish Government, which currently has no legal obligation to fund or deliver a new station in Winchburgh. To our knowledge, no other public or private body currently has a legal responsibility to deliver a new railway station in Winchburgh.

Further to the National Transport Strategy, the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) workstream commenced in 2019, with the final publication of the Summary Report in December 2022.
This review of the strategic transport network’s performance informs transport investment in Scotland across 20 years (2022-2042) by providing evidence-based recommendations on which Scottish Ministers can base future transport investment decisions. It should be noted that there are no new rail lines or stations identified in STPR2 which are viewed as being of essential strategic importance. However, this does not preclude responding to local opportunities or need, as they arise. Provision of a new railway station in Winchburgh does not currently form part of the STPR2 recommendations list.

It might be worth noting that, in the first instance, promoters of new stations should discuss their proposals with the relevant Regional Transport Partnership who consider the proposal and then determine whether it fits with regional transport priorities. For the West Lothian area, the regional transport partnership is Sestran (https://sestran.gov.uk/). Projects are considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability, and other competing proposals.

The local authority (West Lothian Council - WLC).

WLC is the Planning Authority for the wider Winchburgh development. It is the body that granted the developer planning permission in principle for the construction of the housing and education provision and the leisure and retail outlets outlined in the developer’s original application.

The WLC website has a number of publicly available documents, which outline in detail information you have requested. I would direct you to this information to help you gain an understanding of the role of WLC in this matter.

This can be found on the WLC planning portal: https://planning.westlothian.gov.uk/publicaccess/ - application reference LIVE/1012/P/05.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

The developer (Winchburgh Developments Limited – WDL).

The developer is the historical proposer of the new railway station in Winchburgh, as set out in its original masterplan document, produced prior to planning permission for a new station, in principle, being granted by WLC, in 2015.

The principle role of the developer is to continue the development, construction and implementation of the planning conditions agreed and outlined in the Decision Notice approved by WLC in 2012.

Network Rail (NR).

It remains possible that Network Rail could be contracted as the station constructor to build a new station at Wincburgh. However, if it were taken forward by others, Network Rail’s involvement would still be crucial to support the construction of the station i.e. in obtaining the required access rights to the rail network to support with construction works. Scotland's Railway.

General roles and responsibilities of Scotland’s Railway are publicly available via Scotland's Railway |Transport Scotland

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

ScotRail Trains (SRT).

In 2022, the then Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth MSP did commit ScotRail (in public ownership) to fund the station fit-out, electric vehicle charging points and to funding the future cost of operating and maintaining the station. Should a funding solution be found to deliver a station in Winchburgh, Transport Scotland, through ScotRail would deliver on this commitment.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.