On 24 January 2006 RAGES gave a presentation on possible sites for a re-opened Haddington rail station to the Haddington and District Community Council.
The Community Council were very much in favour of a rail link being re-instated to the town.
To progress the re-opening of the Haddington Branch further, it was agreed by all parties that our MSP and local Haddington councillors should be invited in a joint letter to a meeting with the Community Council and RAGES at an early date.
The first stage of this involvement of our MSP and local councillors took place in August 2006 when RAGES met with the then MSP for East Lothian, John Home Robertson, in Haddington and toured the possible sites for a station. A full report of this meeting van be found in The Rages Rag Issue 31.
Unfortunately, before the local councillors could be involved, the Scottish elections took place.
However, since then, the new councillor with the transport portfolio has been very active in promoting rail enhancements in East Lothian.
To date he has got RAGES involved in SEStran meetings with the MSPs and the possibility of the re-opening of Haddington branch is raised there.
It has also been raised again by our MSP at his meeting with the Minister for Transport, Stewart Stevenson.
At the meeting with the Minister on 13 March 2008, the case for re-opening the Haddington station was put forward with a short paper showing options for a station and facilities for park and ride. The Minister promised to look at the case.
