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Factsheet
EARL Key Facts and Information
EARL Layout Map
Your Community
Sustainable Solutions
EARL at the Airport
Works in Progress
Key Document Downloads
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Read more about the Parliamentary Bill, and Download or View the Bill and the Accompanying Documents
Environmental Statement
Maps, Plans and Sections
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Your CommunityClick on the map below or use the list to find your area and see how it is affected by the EARL Project.  RathoGeneral Information There are two features of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) proposals which are considered to have an effect on the community of Ratho. A new flyover junction at Roddinglaw A visual representation of this Grade Separated Junction (GSJ) is shown here. The GSJ option was chosen instead of a conventional junction in order to complement and mitigate the safety and operational impacts of providing a new junction on the existing Edinburgh to Glasgow mainline. It is a fundamental requirement of the project that there is not a significantly adverse effect on "performance," which is railway terminology for timekeeping, reliability and the ability to recover the timetable in the event of operational disruption. The adoption of grade separation at Roddinglaw was also considered prudent "future-proofing" at a key point of the network. The highest track of this junction will be at ground level and visible from the existing Roddinglaw Road, as illiustrated in the photomontage from Roddinglaw Road shown here. The closure of Roddinglaw Road To accommodate the GSJ, Roddinglaw Road will be permanently diverted. The new road will direct traffic south of the railway and then rejoin Freelands Road. Although there will be some loss of arable land, this has been minimised by keeping the new road close to the existing railway line. Furthermore whilst there will be some loss of mature tree's from this proposal, the loss has been minimised by passing the new road as close to the motorway as possible. As part of the Landscape & Habitat Management Plan there is a proposal for acompensatory planting to the west of Ashley Lodge. As part of the Environmental Statement, landscape and visual mitigation is proposed for the diverted road and GSJ, and can be viewed here. Construction & Timescales The EARL Private Bill is currently being scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. If the Bill should become an Act of Parliament, construction is likely to begin January 2009, with the work on the Grade Separated Junction starting in February 2010 for 15 months, and the diversion of Freelands Road commencing in June 2009 for four to five months. These dates and durations are indicative at this stage of the project development. A Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) has been produced and developed throughout the Bill process and the commitments within this document will be enforced through the Bill. The purpose of this document is to define minimum standards of construction practice required of the contractor, in so far as they affect the environment, amenity and safety of local residents, businesses and the general public in the vicinity of the proposed railway works. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report, published on 13 February 2007, the EARL Bill Committee commended the CoCP as a 'thorough, clear and detailed robust document'. A Noise and Vibration Policy Paper, also enforceable through the Bill, has been produced. There are no statutory requirements for mitigating noise from railways in Scotland, however, tie takes this issue seriously and proposes a policy to controlling noise and vibration to mitigate their potential impacts. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report the EARL Bill Committee welcomed the extension of the noise and vibration monitoring phase from six months to five years and the involvement of the Environmental Health Department of the relevant Councils. Community Council Ratho and District Community Council objected to the EARL Bill and their objection can be viewed on the Scottish Parliament website. tie first met with Ratho and District Community Council in summer 2005, following the publication of the Draft Bill. The minutes from this meeting can be found below. tie also organised an Open Day in October 2005 with experts on hand to discuss the issues raised by the Community Council on the proposed diversion of Roddinglaw Road. Following the submission of Ratho's objection in May 2006, tie met with the Community Council to discuss the objection. An Open Day was held on 15 November 2006, to which 35 local residents attended and discussed the proposals. Following a survey undertaken by Ratho Community Council, tie commissioned Progressive Partnership UK to conduct a survey of the local area regarding the diversion of Roddinglaw Road. The results can be seen below. The Ratho Community Council objection was not upheld by the EARL Bill Committee, as detailed in the EARL Consideration Stage Report. Further studies relative to this area A number of further studies and reports have been undertaken to aid understanding of the scheme and to appraise the alternatives proposed by local residents. These reports fall under the GSJ or Road Diversion category and are detailed below:
KirklistonGeneral Information A key feature of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) scheme, which is considered to impact Kirkliston is the North-East Chord of the EARL route. This appears in a cutting out of the tunnel portal to the north of the River Almond and merges with the Dalmeny Chord, north of Kirkliston. As part of the Environmental Statement, landscape and visual mitigation is proposed and can be viewed here. This includes new woodland planting to provide screening for the residents at Almondhill. Unfortunately, due to the constrained nature of railway design and physical site constraints, it is unavoidable that the route will dissect Pepper Wood, resulting in a loss of approximately 0.33 hectares. tie is committed to compensating for this, and therefore, as part of the Landscape & Habitat Management Plan, land immediately north of Pepper Wood has been identified as replacement woodland and will provide approximately one hectare of compensatory planting. Construction & Timescales Currently the EARL Private Bill is being scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. If the Bill should become an Act of Parliament, construction is likely to begin January 2009 on the North West Chord. The Dalmeny Chord will be upgraded to accommodate trains of speeds up to 100mph and this work is likely to take 15 months, starting from October 2009. These dates and durations are indicative at this stage of the project development. The B800 will be temporarily diverted for a period of approximately 12 months, however, access to the A8000 will be maintained at all times. A Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) has been produced and developed throughout the Bill process and the commitments within this document will be enforced through the Bill. The purpose of this document is to define minimum standards of construction practice required of the contractor, as a responsible employer, in so far as they affect the environment, amenity and safety of local residents, businesses and the general public in the vicinity of the proposed railway works. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report, published on 13 February 2007, the EARL Bill Committee commended the CoCP as a 'thorough, clear and detailed robust document'. A Noise and Vibration Policy Paper, also enforceable through the Bill, has been produced. There are no statutory requirements for mitigating noise from railways in Scotland, however, tie takes this issue seriously and proposes a policy to controlling noise and vibration to mitigate their potential impacts. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report the EARL Bill Committee welcomed the extension of the noise and vibration monitoring phase from six months to five years and the involvement of the Environmental Health Department of the relevant Councils. Community Council tie has provided the Kirkliston Community Council with information since the public consultation began in December 2004. There have been two meetings with the Community Council and an Open Day on the 17th October 2006, to which approximately 65 local residents attended. There were a number of objections submitted by the residents of Almondhill Steading who mainly had concerns about the proximity of the route to their property. tie has corresponded and met with these residents both prior to the Private Bill being submitted to Parliament and after the objection was received. The Almondhill Steading objections were not upheld by the EARL Bill Committee, as detailed in the EARL EARL Consideration Stage Report. Further reports:
WinchburghThe Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) route joins the new Dalmeny Chord with the main Edinburgh to Glasgow line at Winchburgh, producing a major junction, which is referred to as 'Winchburgh Junction'. This has been assessed therefore, as having an impact on the community of Winchburgh. As part of the project, upgrade works at Winchburgh Junction are required to ensure the "performance," which is railway terminology for timekeeping and reliability, is not adversely affected. The upgrade of the Junction and Dalmeny Chord will allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 100mph. A plan showing the proposed works is shown here and illustrates the landscape and visual mitigation. A photomontage has been produced to show what the new junction is likely to look like. Construction & Timescales Currently the EARL Private Bill is being scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. If the Bill should become an Act of Parliament, construction is likely to begin on the Winchburgh Junction in February 2010 for approximately 15 months. This upgrade will not affect the operations of the railway at Winchburgh. A separate project, the Winchburgh Development Initiative, is also currently underway, with the aim to develop Winchburgh's local facilities and services. CALA Land Investments has been appointed as the sole developer to take the Initiative forward and, therefore, tie and CALA have developed a working relationship to take both projects forward. A Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) has been produced and developed throughout the Bill process and the commitments within this document will be enforced through the Bill. The purpose of this document is to define minimum standards of construction practice required of the contractor, as a responsible employer, in so far as they affect the environment, amenity and safety of local residents, businesses and the general public in the vicinity of the proposed railway works. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report, published on 13 February 2007, the EARL Bill Committee commended the CoCP as a 'thorough, clear and detailed robust document'. A Noise and Vibration Policy Paper, also enforceable through the Bill, has been produced. There are no statutory requirements for mitigating noise from railways in Scotland, however, tie takes this issue seriously and proposes a policy to controlling noise and vibration to mitigate their potential impacts. In the EARL Consideration Stage Report the EARL Bill Committee welcomed the extension of the noise and vibration monitoring phase from six months to five years and the involvement of the Environmental Health Department of the relevant Councils. Community Council tie has provided the Winchburgh Community Council with information since the public consultation began in December 2004. There have been two meetings with the Community Council, details of which can be found below. tie hope to hold an Open Day in Winchburgh soon.
Further reports & Information Both the local residents and the Winchburgh Development Initiative have requested a train station at Winchburgh. This is not a part of the remit of the EARL project, however, EARL does not preclude a station being built in the future. Also, introducing an additional stop at Edinburgh Airport does present an opportunity for a rail station at Winchburgh for those trains that are not diverted through the airport. This is being investigated further by the Winchburgh Development Initiative.
Cramond, Queensferry & NewtonThe communities of Cramond, Queensferry and Newton are not directly affected by EARL, however, they were interested in a presentation of the proposals from tie . The EARL team, therefore, attended each of the Community Council's monthly meetings and the details of these meetings are listed below. An Open Day was held at Queensferry on 13 July 2006 to which approximately 75 local residents attended. This proved to be a successful event, prompting discussion on the project. There is an opportunity to hold an Open Day for Cramond and Newton and suitable dates are being discussed directly with the Community Councils. Once the dates have been agreed, the events will be advertised locally.
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