Borders Railway is on track for a green future

Council convener David Parker and his guide dog Clive at Tweedbank Railway Station.

The 35-mile railway, which was reopened in September 2015 and enjoyed great success before the Covid-19 lockdown, is currently being appraised for an extension to Hawick and Carlisle.

And now, following the Scottish Government’s commitment to decarbonise the route – using electric rather than diesel trains – it looks like it could be one of the country's most environmentally-friendly public transport routes.

Councillor Parker, member for Leaderdale and Melrose Ward said: “The Scottish Government committed to an ambitious target in July 2020 to decarbonise much of Scotland’s railway network by 2035.

"This is fantastic news for the Borders, which was named as one of the railways where work on decarbonisation is already under way.

“What this means in reality is that Transport Scotland and Network Rail will be considering full or partial electrification of the line and the possibility of battery powered trains being used on the Borders railway.

“It is an ideal candidate for swift electrification because the line was constructed with future electrification in mind and, therefore, any project to decarbonise it has already got a head start because of the works that took place during construction.

The service would be significantly more environmentally friendly. There would be new, improved and more comfortable rolling stock, the service would become more efficient with potentially better journey time, there would be significantly improved punctuality, and the whole passenger experience on the service would be greatly enhanced.

Work looking at the Borders railway line is now progressing at pace and I see no reason why decarbonisation can’t be delivered within the next five years.

"It will be a massive improvement for regular users of the line and the many tourists that the line supports.

“Decarbonisation of the line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank would be an enormous positive step that would have huge benefits for the whole of the Borders community.”