A new shuttle bus service will launch at the end of the month giving commuters free access to a West Lothian railway station. Stirling Developments, the main developer of the Calderwood Core Development Area housing in East Calder, has reached a deal with West Lothian Council to fund the peak time bus service from Calderwood to Kirknewton railway. station. It comes as the builder seeks a solution to the long running problem of providing a park and ride facility at the station- a condition built into the initial planning consent for the huge housing area.
The free service will provide two return journeys per day at peak times, to help residents access train services starting at 7am from the Calderwood Cafe.
The morning buses arrive at Kirknewton station at 07:10 and 07:47. In the afternoon the bus leaves the station at 17:53 and 18:26
Edinburgh Coach Hire will be providing the service, and no advance booking is required. The journey will take approximately 10 minutes and is designed to meet morning and afternoon rush hour trains.
A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the buses which start on 30 June will be monitored monthly to gauge usage and the service could be adjusted to meet demand.
Stirling Developments first trialled commuter buses to Kirknewton in March 2023, six months after proposals for a 50 space park and ride facility on land near the station were knocked back by the council.
The most recent park and ride proposals follow three others which had outlined spaces for up to 300 cars on open land sloping northwards from the station which is three miles from Calderwood.
Even the much smaller car park attracted 93 objectors who pointed out road safety was already a problem. They had highlighted the narrow rural road, dangerous bends and a badly sited junction and poor pavement space running up to the station which sits next to a level crossing.
All the roads around the Victorian-built station are narrow B or C class rural roads which would require substantial upgrades to accommodate a big daily increase in commuter traffic.
Objectors in the past suggested that commuters could drive to Livingston South station, four and half miles west from Calderwood, if they wanted to park at a railway station.
There were also suggestions from councillors that Network Rail could make better use of the existing parking at the station, much of which is used by the operator as storage.
The timetable for the new service is:
Calderwood Cafe 07.00 07.38
Mobility Hub 07.03 07.41
Nethershiel Rd 07.06 07.44
Kirknewton Station 07.10 07.47
Kirknewton Station 17.53 18.26
Nethershiel Rd 17.57 18.30
Mobility Hub 18.00 18.33
Calderwood Cafe 18.03 18.36
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