This article refers to the current station. For the historic station, see Livingston railway station

Livingston railway station

Livingston railway station was a railway station which served the village of Livingston and the community of Livingston Station, both were later amalgamated into the new town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It was located on the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway...

.

Livingston North railway station is one of two railway stations serving the new town

New town

A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...

 of Livingston

Livingston, Scotland

Livingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...

 in West Lothian

West Lothian

West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It is located on the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line

Edinburgh to Bathgate Line

The Edinburgh to Bathgate Line is a railway line in East Central Scotland. It is also known as the Bathgate branch and the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway.-History:...

 25 km (15½ miles) west of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Waverley railway station

Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...

 and situated in the Carmondean area of Livingston. The other railway station in the town is on the Shotts Line

Shotts Line

The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts in Scotland. The route from Glasgow to Shotts is part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network...

.

History

Livingston North station opened on 24 March 1986, concurrent with the re-introduction of passenger services on the Edinburgh to Bathgate Line

Edinburgh to Bathgate Line

The Edinburgh to Bathgate Line is a railway line in East Central Scotland. It is also known as the Bathgate branch and the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway.-History:...

. This station is situated a quarter of a mile east of the original Livingston station

Livingston railway station

Livingston railway station was a railway station which served the village of Livingston and the community of Livingston Station, both were later amalgamated into the new town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It was located on the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway...

. As the line between Cawburn Junction and Bathgate had been singled, the stations at Livingston North and Uphall only required to have single platforms. The platform at Livingston North was built on the solum of the former Up (towards Edinburgh) line due to the station site being in a cutting and the need to provide ramped access (via a 'switchback' path) to it in addition to stepped access. When the station was built, the area immediately south of the line was undeveloped, this being the main reason that the platform was constructed on the north (up) side of the line.

Following route modernisation, re-establishement of double track, new platform for westbound trains and electrification, there are fairly large parking areas to the north and south of the station. As the station has been constructed without a footbridge, access between platforms and parking areas is by way of lengthy disabled ramps and a road bridge.

From opening in March 1986 until December 2010, train services were operated by diesel multiple units, initially Class 101s

British Rail Class 101

The British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. This class proved to be the most successful and longest-lived of all BR's First Generation DMUs, with the final five...

. From 1987, services were formed of Class 150

British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...

 units but by 2008, Class 158

British Rail Class 158

British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...

 and/or Class 170s were used. From December 2010, following electrification, services have been formed of Class 334 electric multiple units.

Airdrie - Bathgate Link

With the commencement of work for the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link

Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link

The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is a railway in central Scotland.Instigated as part of a round of transport improvement projects proposed by the then Scottish Executive in 2003, the plan was to open up a fourth direct railway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project was...

, much excavation was needed around Livingston North station to provide the new platform and to avoid complete closure of the existing platform, which would have been unavoidable had the original railway boundary been observed. The new, second platform came into use on 20 October 2008, when for the first time in over half a century, passenger traffic served the area on a double track railway. Works continue to complete the transformation of the station.

Electrification followed in October 2010 in conjunction with the re-opening of the through route to Drumgelloch and Airdrie.

Rail services between Edinburgh and Livingston North were suspended in December 2010 due to cold weather. MSP Angela Constance

Angela Constance

Angela Constance is the Scottish Government Minister for Children and Young People and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Almond Valley since 2007....

 said "The situation of train services in and around Livingston is desperate. The worst example is that no trains have left Livingston North station in the past 10 days". Stewart Stevenson

Stewart Stevenson

Stewart Stevenson is a Scottish politician who became a member of the Scottish Parliament in 2001....

 replied blaming frozen points

Railroad switch

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

: "A particular issue in the rail network is heating the points at the junction where the line to Bathgate and Livingston North leaves the main line from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk."

2007/08

Monday to Saturday daytimes there was a half-hourly service eastbound to continuing to and westbound to Bathgate. Evenings and Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction.

From December 2008

Monday to Saturday daytimes there was a half-hourly service eastbound to Edinburgh Waverley and westbound to 1986 Bathgate station. Evenings and Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction.

October to December 2010

Monday to Saturday daytimes there was a half-hourly service eastbound to Edinburgh Waverley and westbound to the 2010 station. Evenings and Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction.

Winter 2010/11 (From 12 December 2010)

During the week there is an eastbound service of four trains per hour to Edinburgh, with three per hour to Bathgate and one per hour to Helensburgh Central as a result of delays with commissioning of the Class 380 trains, insufficient Class 334 trains for the full service have been available for introduction of intended timetable from 12 December 2010.

When sufficient trains are available, the westbound services will consist of two trains per hour to Helensburgh Central and two trains per hour to Milngavie.

Sources

• RAILSCOT on Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway