Leven railway station

Last updated

Leven
Leven Railway Station.jpg
The station's island platform in June 2024.
General information
Location Leven, Fife
Scotland
Coordinates 56°11′32″N3°00′07″W / 56.1923°N 3.002°W / 56.1923; -3.002
Grid reference NO3794800442
Platforms2
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOpen
Station codeLEV
History
Original company Leven Railway
Pre-grouping North British Railway
Post-grouping LNER
Key dates
10 August 1854 (1854-08-10)Opened
6 October 1969Closed
2 June 2024 [1] Resited and reopened
Location
Leven railway station

Leven railway station is the eastern terminus of the Levenmouth rail link, which connects the town of Leven, Fife with the Fife Circle Line at Thornton Junction, north of Kirkcaldy. The station is managed and served by ScotRail.

Contents

History

Old alignment and station

Historically, there was a station at Leven on the Fife Coast Railway of the North British Railway, [2] albeit in a different location. Leven was a through station, with services running as far as Anstruther. [3] The line closed to passengers in 1969 [4] and to goods traffic in 1999.[ citation needed ]

Reopening

Although campaign work to open the line to Leven had been ongoing since the line's closure in 1969, there was a significant increase in support in 2008, when £2m was promised in funding for its reopening. [5]

After three STAG reports, [6] [7] [8] The Scottish Government announced on 8 August 2019 that the line would be re-opened for passenger and potential freight services. [9] In December 2020 four options were proposed for the new station site. [10] In June 2021 the station site, near the town's swimming pool, was announced. [11]

The station was opened on 29 May 2024, with scheduled passenger services starting on 2 June 2024.

Site and facilities

The station is situated underneath Bawbee Bridge and has a 205-metre (224 yd) long island platform. The section of Bawbee Bridge which spans the railway was found to be in poor condition and needed to be replaced: construction of the platforms could only start once this was completed. [11] [12]

The station has step-free access with a ramp down from the end of the buffers. The car park has 133 spaces including 12 for electric cars. Cycle storage and a Scotrail welfare facility are provided near the waiting shelters. [12]

Services

All services at Leven are operated by ScotRail, who also manage the station. [13] The typical service on all days of the week is one train per hour to and from Edinburgh Waverley via Kirkcaldy. From 18 May 2025, one extra train an hour will operate to and from Leven, but will be routed via Dunfermline and Cowdenbeath. [14] Direct journeys to Edinburgh Waverley take just over an hour. [15]

Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
ScotRail Terminus
Disused railways
North British Railway

References

  1. ↑ Wilcock, Rich (30 May 2024). "Levenmouth Rail link opens". Rail . Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "Fife today article on the line". Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Hajducki, Andrew; Jodeluk, Michael; Simpson, Alan (2009). The Anstruther and St Andrews Railway. Usk: Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-687-0.
  4. ↑ Hajducki, Andrew; Jodeluk, Michael; Simpson, Alan (2013). The Leven and East of Fife Railway. Usk: Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-728-0.
  5. ↑ "£2m pledge for Leven rail link". Fife Today. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  6. ↑ "Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study STAG Part 1 Appraisal Report" (PDF). South East Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran) & Fife Council. May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  7. ↑ "LEVENMOUTH SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STUDY - STAG PART 2". Fife Council. 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study" (PDF). Transport Scotland. 23 November 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  9. ↑ Piper, Laura (27 March 2024). "Trains set to service Fife area for first time in more than five decades". STV News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  10. ↑ "Levenmouth rail link: proposed locations for new train stations revealed". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  11. 1 2 Callaghan, Jamie (15 June 2021). "New train station sites announced for Leven line". Fife Today. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  12. 1 2 David Shirres (19 December 2023). "Levenmouth Almost Reconnected". Rail Engineer. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Leven Station | National Rail". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  14. ↑ "Train Times: Edinburgh to Fife, Perth and Dundee". ScotRail . Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "Joy as Levenmouth rail link is given the go-ahead". The Courier.co.uk. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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