Hansard

I thank Bob Doris for bringing the debate to the chamber today. East Lothian has seven rail stations: Dunbar, East Linton, Drem, Longniddry, Prestonpans, Wallyford and Musselburgh. I work closely with the Rail Action Group East of Scotland—RAGES—which was established in Dunbar in January 1999 and now has about 170 members. RAGES aims to improve rail transport in East Scotland in order to reduce social isolation, promote rail transport as an essential element in an integrated transport system that serves all sections of the community—I will touch on that later—and promote rail as an environmentally friendly, sustainable and affordable mode of transport. Those aims were set out in 1999, and things have not changed.

In 2007, when I was elected as a councillor for the first time, one of my main objectives was to secure a rail station for the village of East Linton in my ward. With that in mind, I set up a steering group with councillors, MSPs, council officers, South East of Scotland Transport Partnership, ScotRail, Transport Scotland and Network Rail. We met four transport ministers in the campaign as we pushed for a rail station.

East Linton railway station opened on?Wednesday, 13 December 2023, for the first time in almost 60 years. I had the privilege of travelling on the first train from Edinburgh Waverley to East Linton alongside Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, and Alex Hynes, the then chief executive of ScotRail. My enduring memory of that day was seeing the entirety of the East Linton primary school children meet the train and wave as we arrived, along with many local residents—it was a fantastic sight.

I continue to work with RAGES as we push for a new rail link from Haddington and Blindwells in East Lothian. We will meet the council next week to discuss the campaign. I also work with RAGES to push for more services and train stations in the rest of East Lothian.

East Lothian, along with Midlothian, has the fastest-growing population in Scotland. I mentioned Blindwells, which has the potential to be a new town in East Lothian, increasing the population by between 25 and 33 per cent. East Lothian has traditionally been a commuter belt for Edinburgh but Covid changed travel patterns, and those are continuing to change—many people now work from home in East Lothian and occasionally travel in to Edinburgh.

East Lothian has an amazing tourism offering, which is also important in relation to the abolition of peak rail fares. According to figures from the Scottish tourism economic activity monitor, the tourism industry in East Lothian generated £379 million for the local economy in 2024. It also noted that there were 1.56 million visitors to the county last year, a 9.5 per cent increase from 2023 and 14 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Overnight stays saw a significant rise, with visitor numbers increasing by 20 per cent. Overnight tourists contributed more than two million stays, adding £311 million to the local economy. Day visitors also played a crucial role, accounting for 63 per cent of all visits and generating £68 million. We are fortunate to have the Scottish open at the Renaissance club near North Berwick and the fringe by the sea in North Berwick, which have also boosted tourism. Many travel by rail.

The abolition of peak rail fares from 1 September saw an anytime day return from North Berwick drop from £15.60 to £9.10 and an anytime day return from East Linton to Edinburgh drop from £16.70 to £10.80. The decision to scrap peak rail fares will put more money in people’s pockets in East Lothian. It will also drive forward tourism and support jobs in that sector. It will make travel by train more affordable and encourage more people to use sustainable public transport.

Once again, it is a better deal for people because they live in Scotland, thanks to the Scottish Government.