Network Rail has secured planning permission for the construction of the new Leven station as part of the £116m Scottish Government-funded Levenmouth Rail Link project.
The new station will be located next to Leven leisure centre and will be near connecting bus routes.
A planning application was submitted for the development in October 2022 with the work on building the rail-facing elements of the station getting underway in February 2023. This was enabled by permitted development within the railway corridor.
Ground was broken in February, with engineers building new island platforms for the station using 98 pre-cast units and 200 cubic metres of concrete. Alongside the building of the platforms, Bawbee Bridge, which sits above the station site has been redeveloped.
133 car parking spaces with the provision for EV charging and cycle storage are also being installed.
Joe Mulvenna, programme manager for Network Rail said: “Securing planning permission for Leven station is another step in the right direction for the project. It takes us closer to getting the full station development built and opened for public use.
“While there are conditions attached to the planning consent, these come as no surprise to us, and we are busy working through these with Fife Council so we can proceed as planned with the work.
“Every step forward is exciting, but the award of planning consent is a milestone that moves us ever closer to opening the rail link for the people of Fife.”
The Levenmouth Rail Link project initially had its plans unveiled in 2021, and consists of double tracking of nearly 20 kilometres of track and electrification of the line as well as two new stations.
The project team has been laying new track near Cameron Bridge, one of six bridges that will undergo refurbishment and also the location of the second station on the line. Last month, Network Rail showed the progress on the line in a video.
Network Rail currently anticipate the stations and upgrades to be completed in 2024.
Photo and video credit: Network Rail
