A LONG-MOOTED second platform at Dunbar Railway Station has moved a step closer to becoming a reality after access plans were given the green light.

Network Rail has been keen to create a capacity-boosting platform, which would be on the Salisbury Walk side of the railway line, for a number of years.

A contractor is expected to be announced later this year, with work starting on-site in 2019.

Plans for step-free access to the new platform have now been approved by East Lothian Council.

The local authority has given the plans for new lifts and a footbridge at the station the go-ahead, while listed building consent has also been granted to demolish the old goods shed attached to the main building.

Jonathan Pugh, Network Rail Scotland’s strategy and planning director, said: “We are delighted to progress the plans for a second platform at Dunbar Station.

“The new platform, which will be fully accessible, will create capacity for future services to stop at Dunbar.

“We look forward to sharing more detailed plans with the community as the project develops.”

Two community events which highlighted the plans were held 12 months ago and attracted more than 100 people.

The creation of a second platform would end a near-50-year spell where there has been just a single platform at the town’s railway station, which dates back to the 1840s.

Work in about 1970 saw the removal of a footbridge, with the current platform used by stopping trains since then.

The roof over the station and the former south platform were removed during track electrification works in about 1990.