Borders Railway’s fifth birthday sparks renewed calls for extension

It’s now five years since the opening of the Borders Railway, and its success since then is being touted as evidence of the need for it to be extended into England.
Passengers waiting to board the first Borders Railway train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank on Sunday, September 6, 2015. (Photo: Andrew O'Brien)Passengers waiting to board the first Borders Railway train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank on Sunday, September 6, 2015. (Photo: Andrew O'Brien)
Passengers waiting to board the first Borders Railway train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank on Sunday, September 6, 2015. (Photo: Andrew O'Brien)

Tomorrow, September 9, marks the fifth anniversary of the Tweedbank-Edinburgh line’s official launch by Queen Elizabeth II, and momentum continues to build for the reopening of the rest of the old Waverley Route to Cumbria closed in 1969.

Among those convinced that the need to carry the £353m line on to Carlisle, via Hawick, is as great as ever is Campaign for Borders Rail chairman Simon Walton.

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“It’s clear the Borders Railway is crying out for extension to Hawick and Carlisle,” he writes in a column for the Southern this week.

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Nicola Sturgeon, declaring the Borders Railway open at Tweedbank in September 2015. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Nicola Sturgeon, declaring the Borders Railway open at Tweedbank in September 2015. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Nicola Sturgeon, declaring the Borders Railway open at Tweedbank in September 2015. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

“Patronage keeps rising, with a new record two million journeys in the last recorded 12 months.

“Five years gone and many years to come. That’s our message, and the campaign wants everyone behind it.

“The campaign successfully lobbied for the railway, between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, but our ambition for the Borders is much more.

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“The campaign continues to argue the case for extension of the line onwards through Hawick to Carlisle.

Rail campaigners including Madge Elliot, centre, and Simon Walton, far right, at Edinburgh's Waverley station five years ago for the official unveiling of the Borders Railway.  (Photo by Andrew Milligan/WPA pool/Getty Images)Rail campaigners including Madge Elliot, centre, and Simon Walton, far right, at Edinburgh's Waverley station five years ago for the official unveiling of the Borders Railway.  (Photo by Andrew Milligan/WPA pool/Getty Images)
Rail campaigners including Madge Elliot, centre, and Simon Walton, far right, at Edinburgh's Waverley station five years ago for the official unveiling of the Borders Railway. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/WPA pool/Getty Images)

“The campaign has always argued for a reinstated Waverley Route as the spine of a truly integrated public transport network for the Borders.”

Former Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker, one of those at the forefront of the campaign from 2003 onwards to get the region back on track, agrees that the need for an extension is as pressing now as then, though he fears the head of steam built up for that aspiration by 2015 has dissipated since.

“On September 9, 2015, when the Queen opened the railway, I was convinced that the extension to Hawick and beyond was achievable in a relatively short timescale,” he said.

“I do now worry that the extension is much further away.

A Borders Railway service at Tweedbank this week. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)A Borders Railway service at Tweedbank this week. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)
A Borders Railway service at Tweedbank this week. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)
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“Five years have passed and the feasibility study to look at the extension has not yet commenced in earnest.

“There is no clear timetable for when it will conclude or, more importantly, a timescale for the implementation of its findings.

“It must also be recognised that the feasibility study might not conclude positively, and it could rule out an extension.

“I worry there has been a real loss of momentum for extending the line.

A sign at Tweedbank station this week wishing the Borders Railway a happy fifth birthday. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)A sign at Tweedbank station this week wishing the Borders Railway a happy fifth birthday. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)
A sign at Tweedbank station this week wishing the Borders Railway a happy fifth birthday. (Photo: Bill McBurnie)
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“It is inevitable that Covid-19 will place enormous strain on public finances and that will be another challenging factor when trying to justify the very significant investment required to extend the line from Tweedbank to Hawick and then to Carlisle.

“In the weeks and months ahead, there needs to be renewed focus involving MPs, MSPs and local councils and economic agencies, working with railway campaigners, to breathe fresh impetus into plans to extend the line.

“Standing on that platform on September 9, 2015, I was convinced that construction of the extension could realistically commence in 2025.

“With the loss of impetus over the last five years and the feasibility study not yet properly under way, I worry that the earliest we might see construction commence on an extension is 2040.

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“Given the current Covid-19 pressures, even that might be wildly optimistic, but I’d be enormously happy to be proved wrong as delivery of the railway to Tweedbank was only one piece of the jigsaw, and all of us who fought so hard to secure the railway’s return to the Borders will only have truly succeeded when the line is extended to Hawick and Carlisle.”

The Leaderdale and Melrose councillor, now convener of the authority, added: “It is now time to start to campaign to improve the existing line.

“There is no reason why more double-tracking cannot take place, with electrification.

“Double-tracking and electrification could be delivered between 2025 and 2035 if the Scottish Government would commit to the investment required.

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“If further investment could be secured, double-tracking and electrification would make the railway more efficient, reduce journey times and make it more environmentally sustainable.

“The current 53-minute journey could be slashed by as much as 10 minutes, if not more, should more double track and electrification be introduced, and given the enormous success of the railway so far, this additional investment should be seriously considered.

“I hope the Campaign for Borders Rail will step up their campaigning to see the existing line improved.

“Although they have said a great deal about the line’s extension, realistically that could be many decades away, so fighting to improve the existing line would be of huge benefit to the railway’s many users.”

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Borders MP John Lamont and the region’s two constituency MSPs, Rachael Hamilton and Christine Grahame, also continue to back calls for another 67 or so miles of track to be added to the line’s current 30-mile length to recreate the former Waverley Route opened in stages in 1849 and 1862.

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP Mr Lamont said: “The success of the Borders Railway is shown in the huge number of people who have been using it, and the statistics show this has continued to rise year on year.

“It has really made the Borders an even better place to live and visit.

“I believe that the success of the Borders Railway shows the need to extend it further onto Hawick and Carlisle via Newcastleton. This would deliver huge benefits and deliver jobs in more rural areas.”

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Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP Mrs Hamilton said: “The Borders Railway has been fantastic for opening up our area to Edinburgh, the Lothians and beyond.

“Many people commute daily back and forth, removing cars from the main trunk roads and making journeys faster.

“I look forward to a bright future for the railway and an extension down to Carlisle, which would benefit even more communities, opening up even more opportunities.”

Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP Ms Grahame said: “I am delighted that the Borders Railway is marking five years.

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“In many ways, it seems like it’s always been there, given how integral it’s become to the area. However, it represents a real asset to those who live along it and those who use it to access Midlothian and the Borders which was sorely needed.

“Its success is a tribute to all the campaigners, railway and train staff and local community volunteers who have made it what it is.

“I was involved for years with local campaign groups who wanted to see the old Waverley Line reopened in some capacity, and I must pay tribute to their tenacious attitude in pursuing this, some of whom had been campaigning since the closure in 1969.

“That campaign continues, of course ,with plans to see the railway further extended to join the main line at Carlisle, which I very much support.

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“I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the line.”

Colin Smyth, Labour’s representative among the seven list MSPs for South Scotland, added: “The campaign to extend the Borders Railway on to Carlisle has never been more important, and the benefits to the local economy here in the south of Scotland would be immeasurable.

“There is a powerful case for an extension of the Borders Railway, not just as far south as Hawick but beyond to Carlisle.

“It has been a genuine grass-roots campaign that has united communities not just in the Borders but beyond.

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“The economic benefits of the Borders Railway cannot be underestimated.

“In a post-Covid-19 environment, it has the potential to open up new opportunities for tourism and attract visitors to the area.”

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